More parking fines are handed out on a Wiltshire High Street than anywhere else in the county with over 320 issued in one year.

After a successful FOI request to Wiltshire Council, this paper can reveal that 323 penalty charge notices (PCNs) were issued on Marlborough High Street in 2022, more than on any other road in the county.

Rounding out the top three worst roads for parking fines were Winchester Street (314) and Castle Street (285) in Salisbury.

Cross Hayes (283) in Malmesbury and The Street (264) in Castle Combe follow closely behind as parking fine hotspots.

In total, Wiltshire Council issued a whopping 18,915 PCNs in 2022 and collected £637,910.

£617,883 of this came from on-street parking while a further £20,027 came from off-street parking.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald: Marlborough High StreetMarlborough High Street (Image: Tom Ellis)

These figures come after a year of complaints from residents about parking in the county.

In November tourists visiting Marlborough, the home of Wiltshire’s most fined street, claimed they had been put off returning to the town by the difficulty they had parking.

In Castle Combe, another PCN hotspot, parishioners have argued for even more action to clamp down on illegal parking as tourists flock to the village.

Meanwhile, many locals in towns such as Chippenham have been calling for the introduction of free parking periods at town centre car parks to make life easier for visitors and boost local businesses.

The council has previously emphasised that motorists are engaged with where possible to prevent parking tickets and that PCNs are only issued when necessary.

Councillor Caroline Thomas, the cabinet member for transport, said: “We only issue parking charge notices as a last resort to keep traffic moving and keep motorists and pedestrians safe.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald: The Street, Castle CombeThe Street, Castle Combe (Image: John Mackelden)

“Our first response is to engage with motorists and ask them to move along.

“In accordance with legislation, any surplus generated from the administration of parking services is used to fund transport services such as park and ride and rural buses.”

The full list of streets with the highest number of penalty charge notices issued in 2022 can be found below.

  1. High Street, Marlborough – 323
  2. Winchester Street, Salisbury – 314
  3. Castle Street, Salisbury – 285
  4. Cross Hayes, Malmesbury – 283
  5. The Street, Castle Combe – 264
  6. Clay Street, Crockerton – 250
  7. Silver Street, Salisbury – 238
  8. Blue Boar Row, Salisbury – 181
  9. Scots Lane, Salisbury – 166
  10. New Canal Service Road, Salisbury – 166