A surge in successful appeals against private parking tickets has exposed widespread issues with enforcement practices, prompting calls for stricter regulations. Drivers challenged over 107,000 tickets in 2025, with more than half overturned, raising concerns about unfair penalties and misleading signage. Motoring groups urge Labour to act on a delayed code of practice to rein in rogue operators.
A record number of parking tickets issued by private firms were overturned last year, sparking outrage over aggressive enforcement tactics. Data obtained by the Daily Mail reveals that drivers lodged at least 107,202 appeals against tickets from private parking companies in 2025, marking a 40% increase from 76,292 in 2022.
For the first time, the number of appeals handled by an official adjudicator surpassed 100,000. Shockingly, over half (54,100) of these appeals were successful, up from 34,635 in 2022, setting another record. In 40,000 cases, parking firms chose not to contest the appeals, raising questions about the validity of the original tickets. The actual number of appeals is likely much higher, as many are resolved internally before reaching the adjudicator.
This suggests that private parking operators, whose numbers have surged in recent years, may be issuing incorrect tickets in as many as 50% of cases, potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of drivers. Common reasons for appeals included unclear or misleading signage, payment issues, and inconsistent rule enforcement. While the figures only cover private operators and exclude council-issued tickets, motoring groups argue that some firms are operating unchecked.
They urge Labour to expedite a long-awaited code of practice to curb rogue ticketing. Drivers are also encouraged to challenge unfair tickets, as many do not appeal despite believing they are in the right. The RAC's head of policy, Simon Williams, expressed concern over the unnecessary stress caused by wrongly issued tickets, emphasizing the need for the government-backed code of practice.
The AA's Jack Cousens highlighted that many drivers pay up even when they know they are innocent, underscoring the urgency of implementing stricter regulations. Steve Gooding of the RAC Foundation questioned why parking firms did not contest 40,000 appeals, suggesting they may have known the evidence was insufficient. The data comes from the Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA) service, the official adjudicator for firms affiliated with the British Parking Association (BPA), the industry's largest body.
If a parking firm rejects an appeal, drivers can escalate it to POPLA. A smaller group of firms under the International Parking Community uses a different adjudicator. Private parking tickets continue to rise annually, with firms now issuing around 2,000 tickets per hour on average. Each ticket can cost up to £100, resulting in a daily financial burden of nearly £5 million for drivers.
Although Labour has proposed a parking 'Code of Practice' to address unscrupulous firms, critics accuse the party of delaying its implementation after a consultation period. Motoring groups also argue that the proposed measures are too lenient. A bill enabling the new code received royal assent in March 2019, but no code has been enacted yet.
Alison Tooze of the BPA noted that only 0.64% of parking charges in 2025 progressed to a second-stage appeal at POPLA, with most being paid or resolved at the initial stage. Of those that reached POPLA, around half were canceled
Parking Tickets Private Parking Firms Appeals Regulation Motoring Groups
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