Dozens of parking tickets were handed out in Somerset every day in the first half of 2022, new figures reveal.

Penalty Charge Notices are issued when drivers break parking regulations, such as by parking on double yellow lines or on a single yellow line at a prohibited time.

Figures obtained by Churchill Motor Insurance through Freedom of Information requests show 11,712 penalty charge notices were handed out by Somerset County Council in the six months to June 2022 – equivalent to 65 each day.

This was a rise from 57 per day across the whole of 2021 – although seasonal variations and coronavirus lockdowns may have contributed.

Nicholas Mantel, head of Churchill Motor Insurance, said: “Motorists across Britain are regularly being caught out by increased and sometimes complicated parking restrictions.

“We would encourage drivers to always check parking signs carefully to ensure they avoid any expensive fines.

“If motorists do receive a parking fine, they have 28 days to pay it or appeal to an independent tribunal,” he added.

In total, 230 councils across the UK responded to the Freedom of Information requests.

Among those that provided data, the figures show a rise in the average daily number of parking fines, from 17,500 in 2021 to 19,600 in the first half of last year.

The figures show Somerset County Council brought in £330,890 in revenue in the first half of 2022 from penalty charge notices – or £1,838 a day.

This was a rise from £1,579 a day across the whole of 2021.

The figures further show £1,521,212 has been collected by Somerset County Council from parking tickets from the start of 2020 to June 2022.

The RAC Foundation, a charity for motorists, said parking rules are there for a reason – but added "over-enthusiastic parking enforcement" may also be playing a role in the rise across the UK.

Steve Gooding, director of the organisation, said: “Whichever way they turn and wherever they decide to stop, on-street and off-street, drivers are faced with the threat of parking sanctions.

“Between the 20,000 tickets issued by councils daily and the 30,000 dished out by private parking companies, motorists are seemingly facing a positive flurry of fines and charges – around one every two seconds.

A spokesperson for the Local Government Association, who represent councils in England and Wales, said: “Income raised through on-street parking charges and parking fines is spent on running parking services.

"Any surplus is spent on essential transport projects, including fixing the £11 billion road repairs backlog, reducing congestion, tackling poor air quality and supporting local bus services,” they added.