Parking tickets in Guernsey could increase by £25

The current level of fines has not changed since 2012

Parking tickets in Guernsey could increase by £25 under new proposals.

Currently the island has three different fixed penalty fines of £40, £70 and £100 for varying offences such as driving on States land and failing to wear a seatbelt.

The Committee for Home Affairs wants to increase each of these by £25 while maintaining the existing £10 discount for paying within a week.

The plans will go to the States for approval later this month.

Some 14,000 fines are handed out in Guernsey each year.

The majority fall in the lowest tier, issued for offences like parking over time, riding on the pavement and not having headlights on in the dark.

Fixed penalty notices were introduced for traffic offences on Guernsey in 1969 on the basis that they had the potential to save both police and court time.

'Fair and proportionate'

The current level of fines has not changed since 2012.

The States said the proposed increases were in line with inflation and were "necessary".

They said they wanted the fines to "remain effective whilst also being fair and proportionate".

The Home Affairs' States report said: "Fixed penalty notices allow for lower level offences to remain outside of the criminal justice system which carries substantial costs.

"Setting the level of fines at an appropriate point aims to deter individuals from specific undesirable behaviours.

"Should the fines not carry an appropriate level of deterrence, it may be argued that fixed penalty notice offences could have the potential to become more frequent, as the sanction associated with them is no longer enough to discourage the behaviours effectively."

If approved, Band A offences will increase from £40 to £65, Band B from £70 to £95 and Band C from £100 to £125.