If you’ve received a parking ticket while parking on a street or in a car park in Carmarthenshire you’ve helped raise hundreds of thousands of pounds in fines collected by the local council. Data obtained by WalesOnline shows that, in a 12-month period, more than £350,000 was collected in fines from more than 11,000 parking penalty charge notices issued.
The figures have been released after a freedom of information request was sent to Carmarthenshire Council covering the period between April 2022 and April 2023. As well as the total number of penalty charge notices issued and the income raised from motorists paying them we can also reveal the different locations across the county where you are most likely to receive a parking fine.
John Street Car Park in Carmarthen is the worst place in Carmarthenshire to pick up a parking ticket followed by Lammas Street, which is also in Carmarthen. Of the 10 worst places to get hit with a fine, five of them are in Carmarthen, four of them are in Llanelli, and one is in Llandeilo. You can keep up to date with the latest Carmarthenshire news by signing up to our local newsletter here.
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Across the 12 months a total of 11,039 penalty charge notices were issued and a total of £356,328 was raised. The fines were all recorded either by enforcement officers who patrol the county’s streets and car parks or by a camera enforcement vehicle. That vehicle, called Iolo Patrolo, has two cameras on its roof with one pointing left and one pointing right.
The car records evidence of illegal parking which is then sent to council officers who review the footage before deciding whether or not an offence has been committed. If it has a notice demanding payment is sent to the car owner’s address. The vehicle, which came into use in 2019, cost the council more than £50,000 when taking into account the vehicle itself, the cameras it uses, and the software needed to administer fines. That cost was recouped quickly, however, as between April 2019 (shortly after Iolo Patrolo became active) and April 2020 its use resulted in more than £80,000 in fines being collected. You can read more about how the enforcement car works here. As for the latest 12-month period up to April 2023 Carmarthenshire Council has not confirmed how much of the £356,328 was raised via the enforcement vehicle and how much was collected from tickets placed on car windscreens from patrol officers nor has it confirmed what that money is spent on and whether it is used to supply more free parking periods and spaces for members of the public.
The locations in Carmarthenshire where you are most likely to be hit with a parking fine are listed below:
- John Street car park, Carmarthen
- Lammas Street, Carmarthen
- East Gate car park, Llanelli
- Lane to the rear of Vaughan Street, Llanelli
- Chapel Street, Carmarthen
- St Peters car park, Carmarthen
- Rhosmaen Street, Llandeilo
- Cowell Street, Llanelli
- Side street off Murray Street (west of the multi-story car park), Llanelli
- Cambrian Place, Carmarthen
Councillor Rob James, leader of the opposition group at Carmarthenshire council, said money raised from parking fines should go towards improving parking options and making sure people are not put off coming into the county's towns to visit local shops. “It’s clear from the data that a significant amount of money has been raised from parking fines. Parking tickets can originate from dangerous or illegal parking yet it often the case that it’s merely local residents seeking to access our town centres. Traders in our town centres rely on shoppers who use their cars. We need to ensure that funds raised from parking tickets are ringfenced to improving parking options across our county and do not act as a deterrent to improving footfall in our town centres."
Edward Thomas, Carmarthenshire council's cabinet member for transport, waste, and infrastructure services, said: "The council has a duty to secure the safe and expeditious movement of traffic on Carmarthenshire’s roads and the enforcement of waiting restrictions is a key part of achieving these objectives. Our aim is to encourage compliance with any restrictions which are in place. However where it is necessary to issue a penalty charge notice the income generated is used to cover the costs of enforcement and is also invested in local highway and transport works. The council’s current free parking arrangements are being reviewed and a report will be presented to cabinet in due course.”
