Parking tickets double in parts of Norfolk

Colegate in Norwich has one of the highest rates of penalty charge notices in the county

The number of parking tickets being handed out in some parts of Norfolk has doubled in the past year, a report has shown.

South Norfolk and Broadland have seen the biggest increases, with almost 1,700 tickets issued in the last 12 months compared to 800 the year before.

The rise has been attributed to an increase in enforcement staff as long term vacancies were filled, as well as the introduction of a new parking scheme in Cringleford.

A county council spokesperson said it would "continue to enforce parking laws across the county and remind drivers to take notice of parking restrictions and rules to avoid receiving penalty charge notices."

More than 20,000 penalty charge notices were issued in Norfolk in the last 12 months

The Norfolk Parking Partnership oversees parking enforcement in the county on behalf of all the local authorities.

A report to the committee on Tuesday showed 20,694 penalty charge notices (PCNs) were issued across the county in 2023-24, compared with 16,333 in the previous 12 month period - an increase of 26.7%.

Some districts had seen the number of PCNs more than double.

South Norfolk saw an increase of 123.8% while Broadland saw its number of tickets rise by 100.8%.

Top 10 places in Norfolk for fines issued

The report also listed the top 10 places in the county for PCNs being issued, here in descending order:

• South Quay, King's Lynn (745)

• Colegate, Norwich (725)

• King Street, King's Lynn (609)

• King Street, Great Yarmouth (534)

• Deneside, Great Yarmouth (523)

• Apsley Road, Great Yarmouth (482)

• St Giles Street, Norwich (428)

• Princes Road, Great Yarmouth (425)

• Rouen Road, Norwich (415)

• Princes Street, Norwich (373)

Cyclist Margaret Harris, 58, finds it difficult to get past parked cars and pedestrians in Colegate, Norwich

Margaret Harris, 65, from Norwich, is a cyclist who struggles to use Colegate at busy times.

"I find the parking quite difficult to get past as a cyclist," she said.

"It’s busy and everybody is busy walking on the road as well as the pavement as well as all the parking.

"People probably need to learn not to park here."

Blue Badge misuse

The meeting also heard there had been 98 reports of Blue Badge misuse in the county in the past 12 months.

Norfolk County Council employs a Blue Badge investigator to look into these claims.

Their work resulted in 13 court cases, of which six were prosecutions with fines totalling £4,954 - and costs awarded to the council of £2,216.

A total of 23 Blue Badges were also seized, with 12 returned to the badge holder.

Eleven were returned to the Blue Badge investigator and subsequently destroyed.

Graham Footer, chief executive of the charity Disabled Motoring UK, said it made a difference if the public knew that there was enforcement in place.

"If they know that there are investigators out there, they're less likely to abuse blue badges and disabled parking bays," he said.

"And that's so important for disabled motorists because, at the end of the day, they're the ones that that suffer the consequences of people using and abusing blue badges."