The streets in Blackpool where the most parking tickets were handed out last year have been revealed.
Tourism hotspots including the Promenade and areas around Blackpool Pleasure Beach proved the places where drivers were most likely to have fallen foul of traffic wardens.
Information revealed by the council in response to a freedom of information request shows a total of 24, 637 parking tickets were handed out in the resort in 2021.
Of those the highest number of 1,293 were issued on the Promenade, with a further 1,192 tickets slapped on vehicles on Albert Road which is at the heart of one of Blackpool’s busiest hotel areas.
Next on the list is Osborne Road in South Shore, which is close to the Pleasure Beach, while Withnell Road and South Promenade are also in the top 10 streets where the most tickets were issued.
Coun Neal Brookes, cabinet member for enforcement, public safety, highways and transport at Blackpool Council, said: “Parking fines are necessary tools to manage our highways network and roads.
“They are used to ensure free traffic flow and access for all road users including the emergency services and that spaces such as blue badge bays are used appropriately.
“Income generated is reinvested in our highways, transport network, essential services and infrastructure.
“A process is in place to allow people to appeal tickets that they believe have been issued incorrectly and these can be revoked once we are made aware of extenuating circumstances.
“Unfortunately we do also have situations where people are knowingly parking illegally and receiving a ticket rather than waiting for a parking space to become available.”
Last summer ‘parking mayhem’ was reported in some parts of Blackpool as bank holiday visitors flocked to the resort post-lockdown.
Traffic wardens were unable to cope with the amount of infringements as tourists struggled to find places to leave their vehicles, particulrly in South Shore.
Waterloo ward councillor Derek Robertson speaking last June said: “People were parking in every corner including on footpaths and grass verges with the car parks full.”
He added visitors were also parking in residential streets causing problems for people living there, and called for more traffic wardens to be on duty.
The council said there had been between eight and 11 parking wardens on duty each day of the bank holiday weekend moving around the town, with more than two on duty in South Shore.
The 20 streets in Blackpool where most parking tickets were issued in 2021
Promenade 1,293
Albert Road 1,192
Osborne Road 905
Talbot Road 677
Springfield Road 636
Withnell Road 630
Clifton Street 476
Dickson Road 376
South Promenade 355
Watson Road 353
Coronation Street 351
Central Drive 344
Abingdon Street 326
Church Street 318
Adelaide Street 312
Lytham Road 292
Queen Street 289
Market Street 261
Hull Road 230
Palatine Road 223
(Images – parking meter on the Promenade and Osborne Road)
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