Slough street named as one of most prolific for driving fines

Slough High Street has been named as one of the most prolific streets outside of London for driving fines, figures have revealed.

According to comparison website Confused.com, the route clocked up £60,195 via 3,494 penalty charge notices (PCNs) during the 2020/21 financial year.

This puts the town among the top 10 locations outside of the capital for the most driving fines.

Figures show that the most prolific street in the UK is Browning Road in Newham, London, which clocked up an eye-watering £3.3million via 67,557 PCNs during the same period.

The data was obtained by Confused.com via a Freedom of Information request to expose the streets where drivers are most likely to be hit with fines.

Motorists could be issued a PCN for various reasons, including parking offences, straying into bus lanes or blocking a yellow box junction.

Figures reveal that £19.5million was collected by councils for offences committed on the top 103 streets over the 12-month period.

Through further research conducted by Confused.com which surveyed 2,000 UK drivers, 34 per cent said that councils ‘make too much money’ from penalising drivers through PCNs.

Meanwhile, 42 per cent believe that parking fines are ‘too expensive’, with 34 per cent thinking they should be reduced amid the rising cost of living.

More than half (52 per cent) claimed they appealed their PCN, with data showing that 73 per cent of appeals made were successful.

Alex Kindred, car insurance expert at Confused.com, said: “Just like many of our motoring bills, the cost of PCNs is an extra strain on the pockets of drivers.

“A third (33 per cent) of drivers believe that councils should spend more money on making road signs clearer, so that drivers don’t have to fork out for unfair fines in the first place.

“In turn, this would make roads safer, drivers less confused, and help to reduce the cost of driving.

“If you've received a PCN fine, you might be able to challenge the decision if you think it was unfair. The process may vary depending on your local authority, so it's important to check this before doing so.”

A Slough Borough Council spokeswoman said: ““The number of parking fines is directly related to the number of cars in Slough which park inappropriately or illegally.

“Parking restrictions are there for safety, the safety of road users, blue badge holders and pedestrians.

“The easiest way to avoid a parking fine is to park in an appropriate area.”