Figures have revealed a sharp increase in the number of Penalty Charge Notices issued in just one street in Penrith since the creation of Westmorland and Furness Council on the 1st of April 2023 netting the council a potential £40,060 in fines.
Devonshire street in the town centre has mix of loading and unloading bays alongside some free disk parking bays with a 1 hour time limit requiring a parking disk showing arrival time.
Over the last five years a total of 1238 Penalty Charge Notices have been issued for parking offences in the loading and parking bays on Devonshire Street with almost 50% of these issued by Westmorland and Furness Council during the councils first 17 months. Devonshire Street was also closed to traffic for two months in the early part of 2024 due to the gas mains replacement work in the town centre.
From 01.04.2023 – 09.09.2024 Westmorland and Furness Council traffic enforcement officers issued a total of 446 Penalty Charge Notices for loading bay offences in Devonshire Street.
Compared to the former Cumbria County Council who in the four years between 01.04.2019 – 31.03.2023 issued a total of just 473 Penalty Charge Notices for loading bay offences in Devonshire Street.
Westmorland and Furness Council has also issued in the same period almost as many tickets to drivers parking in disc zone parking bays on Devonshire Street as Cumbria County Council issued in four years.
From 01.04.2023 – 09.09.2024 Westmorland and Furness Council issued a total of 139 Penalty Charge Notices for disc zone contraventions in Devonshire Street.
From 01.04.2019 – 31.03.2023 the former Cumbria County Council issued a total of just 180 Penalty Charge Notices for disc zone contraventions in Devonshire Street.
Westmorland and Furness Council has two rates for Penalty Charge Notices the Higher rate charges that includes parking in loading area without loading results in a penalty charged of £70. This is discounted to £35 if drivers pay within 14 days of the date the Penalty Charge Notices was issued.
The higher level offences also include parking in a:
restricted area in a car park
permit bay without clearly displaying a valid permit
in a car park or area not designated for that class of vehicle
on yellow lines
loading area without loading
The Councils lower rate charges that cover parking for longer than permitted and parking in a disc zone without displaying a valid disc imposes a charge of £50 for this level of Penalty Charge Notices. This is discounted down to £25 if drivers pay within 14 days of the date the Penalty Charge Notices was issued.
Other lower level offences include:
parking after the expiry of paid time
parking in a car park without displaying a valid pay and display ticket
not parking correctly within the markings of a bay space
parking in a closed car park
parking in a disc zone without displaying a valid disc
parking for longer than permitted
The Penalty Charge Notices issued by Westmorland and Furness Council in Devonshire Street alone in its first 17 months could have netted the council £40,060 made up of non discounted fines for loading bay fines of £33,110 and non discounted disk zone fines of £6,950