Wigan motorists among the most successful in the country for appealing parking penalties

Freedom of Information requests to councils across the country found that motorists have a better chance of overturning penalties in the borough than almost anywhere else.

Wigan - with a 67 per cent successful appeals rate - comes fourth nationally.

Mind you that’s nothing compared to table-topping Lambeth Council in London where an astonishing 91 per cent of drivers find it worth their while complaining. Also above Wigan are

Milton Keynes (90 per cent) and Portsmouth (69 per cent).

Contrast this though with the opposite end of the league where 99.9 per cent of fines are upheld by stern Chelmsford Council in Essex.

Areas to avoid where appeals also fall on stoney ground include Haringey in London where just nine per cent submitted were successful, and Leeds where 13 per cent of drivers won appeals.

Data obtained by heycar revealed that more than 350,000 parking appeals were submitted nationwide between January 2019 and September 2019 - with one in three (34 per cent) succeeding.

Paul Barton, director for environment at Wigan Council said: “We work hard to increase awareness and compliance of our parking restrictions and we do this partly through issuing parking.

“Officers inspect vehicles thoroughly to ensure that a valid permit or ticket is on display and we also photograph all vehicles before issuing a PCN.

“Our cancellation policy details how and when a motorist can appeal their parking charge notice, for example, if a valid permit has fallen from view and the motorist is able to supply a copy.

“We continue to work hard to increase compliance of our parking restrictions and will look at each appeal case individually.”

A survey of 2,000 motorists revealed one in four admit to rowing with their neighbours over where they park their cars.

The figure rose to nearly half (41 per cent) of 16 to 24-year-olds being caught up in parking fury and one in 10 drivers said they had been compelled to leave a sign out reserving their spot.

But with latest Government figures revealing English councils made £454m from on-street parking penalties in the last year the battle lines have been drawn between drivers and their local councils.

Karen Hilton, chief commercial officer at heycar, said: “If you know you were in the wrong, then it’s probably best not to waste your time appealing a parking ticket - but if your ticket genuinely blew over in the wind you could have a case.

“Although the process for appealing a fine is very similar all over the country, the decisions made by councils appear to be very subjective.

“So if you do genuinely think you have a case to appeal, then it’s definitely worth doing something about it.”