MORE than 62,000 parking tickets were handed out in Oxfordshire last year although fewer people are fighting against their fines.

The 62,846 fixed penalty notices dished out for on-street parking violations from April 2007 to March 2008 was an increase of five per cent on the 59,854 tickets that were handed out during the calendar year of 2006.

It means that on average 172 penalty charges were given out every day by parking wardens on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council – bringing in a minimum of £4,300 a day.

The council hands out a maximum fine of £70 for motorists parked on a double yellow line or £50 for lesser parking offences, both of which can be discounted by 50 per cent if paid within 14 days.

Today Oxfordshire County Council refused to answer questions from the Oxford Mail about exactly how much money it earns from fines.

New figures from the Traffic Penalty Tribunal show that the 190 councils in England and Wales which have ticket-issuing powers handed out more than 3.8 million fines, an increase of 254,000 from 2006 when there were 154 councils with the powers.

In Oxfordshire the number of appeals against parking fines fell from 72 in 2006 — the last set of figures — to just 38 between April 2007 and March 2008.

The number of tickets which are appealed account for 0.06 per cent of tickets issued in the county, meaning Oxfordshire has the joint 10th lowest number of appeals out of all 190 councils.

The number of successful appeals also fell from 75 per cent to 45 per cent.

Nationally, of the 3.8 million tickets issued, 0.28 per cent were appealed against with a success rate of 60 per cent, eight per cent less than in 2006.

Robin Swailes, of Canal Street, Jericho, last year received a parking ticket because his Vespa scooter was too small for a parking bay marked for cars and motorbikes with sidecars only.

Mr Swailes, who runs North Oxford Property Services, said: “I have seen the use of scooters and cars by wardens increase, so obviously they’re becoming more efficient at getting round and giving out tickets.

“The wardens are too harsh and too quick to issue tickets.

“People are scared of appealing. If you appeal you miss your early payment date and if you lose, the fine you have to pay is double.”

cwalker@oxfordmail.co.uk