This street is Northampton's top spot for parking charges as figures show council raked in £1,100,427 last year

Northampton County Council issued 35,632 parking tickets in 2020, with the most ticketed location being Abington Street in the town centre, according to the data.

The town was ranked 18th out of 20th in comparethemarket.com's table of most ticketed cities and towns.

And, according to the data, around 98 fines a day were issued on average in Northampton, which were each worth, on average, £30.88.

Dan Hutson, head of motor at comparethemarket.com, said: “Parking fine revenues are a cash cow for many local authorities. Up and down the country drivers are regularly being caught out by tight parking restrictions.

"With the third lockdown now in place, we would encourage drivers to take extra care and attention when parking up their car to ensure they avoid a parking fine.”

A Northamptonshire County Council spokeswoman explained what the parking fine income is used for.

She said: “The income resulting from parking enforcement initially pays for the direct costs for enforcement, administration, maintaining parking machines, software and new parking equipment. This includes new pay-and-display machines, radio equipment, handheld machines and any other costs associated with running civil parking enforcement."

According to the spokeswoman, any surplus money is used to meet costs incurred, whether by the local authority or by someone else, in the provision or operation of, or of facilities for, public passenger transport services. Or it is used to make road improvements in the local authority's area.

Other midland areas in the top 20 included Coventry (19th), Leicester (15th), and Birmingham (2nd).

Glasgow was ranked top of the list with the city's parking wardens issued 104,938 tickets in 2020, which meant the council made £5,484,781 last year.