County's parking fines could double

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

A county's fines for parking a car illegally could more than double.

In Norfolk, drivers who receive a penalty charge notice (PCN) are charged between £50 and £70, which is halved if the fine is paid within 14 days.

The Norfolk Parking Partnership - made up of county, district and borough councils - has written to the Department for Transport asking if the fine can be raised to £130, in line with London charges.

Emma Hampton, Labour deputy leader of Norwich City Council, said it wanted to be tough on "persistent offenders" and people "who play the system".

"This is a problem where we need to look at both solutions and tackle from multiple angles", Ms Hampton added.

"We’re looking for a review of what we can charge – in particular to those who are trying to play the system and are persistent offenders.

“We will continue to review our enforcement measures."

More than 23,000 PCNs were issued by council traffic wardens in the first half of the year to drivers who ignored restrictions, such as by parking on yellow lines, not buying pay and display tickets, staying too long in time-limited spaces or parking in a permit space without a permit, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Figures show Colegate in Norwich, South Quay in King’s Lynn and King Street in Great Yarmouth are among the 10 streets where most fines were issued.