Drivers need to be vigilant when driving down these 10 ‘Fine Streets’ which have generated the most penalty charge notices (PCNs) in the past year – and combined they’ve seen motorists incur more than £42million in fines.

A Freedom of Information request to councils revealed some single streets are responsible for more than 50 per cent of all charges issued by local authorities over the 12-month period.

Corporation Street in the heart of Birmingham’s city centre, has been named the worst of all with 62,725 PCNs dished out to motorists during the last reporting financial year.

The majority of PCNs were for breaches of the city’s Clean Air Zone, Birmingham City Council said. 

These would have been issued to drivers of non-compliant vehicles exited the A38 Aston Expressway onto Corporation Street on the zone’s outer limit.

Of the 10 streets where the most PCNs were distributed, six cashed in more than £1million in fines, the investigation revealed.

The results will undoubtedly trigger serious questions from motorists about the fairness of charges.

The comparison site asked every UK council which single street in their authority area had seen the most PCNs issued in 2024/25.

Of all 383 UK authorities contacted, 359 responded with data. 

PCNs are issued for a multitude of infringements. This includes parking offences, straying into bus lanes, stopping in yellow box junctions and entering low emission zones in non-compliant vehicles without paying.

The data revealed that £42,194,821 was collected by councils for offences committed on the 10 streets where the most PCNs were dished out over the 12-month period.

Figures shared by local authorities showed that over half a billion pounds (£530m) was collected by councils in motoring PCNs in total in the last fiscal year, Confused said.

While Corporation Street in Birmingham at Aston Road (inbound) saw the most PCNs issued, Station Parade in Barking accrued the highest income from charges, raking in £2,030,242.

Barking & Dagenham Borough Council issued 33,419 tickets for offences on this street in 2024/25, largely due to drivers entering a pedestrianised zone.

These fines made up one in seven (14 per cent) PCNs distributed by the council that year.

Meanwhile Heaton Lane in Stockport generated 57 per cent of all PCNs distributed by the Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council.

The council in 2022 introduced a ‘bus gate’ – a short section of road that only allows buses and other specific authorised vehicles (such as taxis, cycles, and emergency vehicles) to pass through – which triggered a surge in PCN volumes.

A similar bus gate on Cumberland Road in Bristol – third overall for the most PCNs issued – is likely also responsible for almost all charges issued on the street, with enforcement of the bus gate starting in January 2024.

Second in the list of streets where most PCNs were issued was bustling Oxford Street in the heart of Manchester, specifically the stretch between Whitworth Street to Chepstow Street, which has a bus lane and pay and display parking bays.

Manchester City Council said the majority of PCNs were related to enforcement of the bus lane. 

With councils collecting significant sums from parking and traffic fines, it’s no surprise that many drivers are questioning how fairly these penalties are being issued and reasons for this.

According to a survey of 2,000 UK drivers, 57 per cent have received a PCN and 12 per cent have received a PCN on the same street more than once.

Nearly half were penalised for parking offences, including parking on a yellow line, not paying for parking, or parking in a restricted area.

These fines are most often picked up in busy areas, with 47 per cent of drivers receiving their PCN in a city centre, and another two in five fined on a residential street.

And the cost of parking penalties can quickly add up.

A third of drivers said they paid between £50 and £100 in parking-related PCNs.

Two in five drivers believe the current cost of parking fines is too expensive. 

Yet, one Dorset Council threatens to send charges skyrocketing after making a request to hike PCNs in its area.

Last week, Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council appealed to the DfT to allow it to permanently issue fines of up to £160 – on par with London – to tackle illegal parking on its coastline hotspots after the highest charges were successfully trialled in August.

The AA has warned that – if granted permission – it could ‘burst the dam on the value of charges’ issued nationwide and risks councils treating motorists like a cash cow to bolster depleted local authority coffers.

The poll of drivers found that just over two in five (42 per cent) motorists who said they had received penalty charges appealed to have them overturned.

A quarter of these said the appeal process provided by the distributing council was ‘difficult’.

Of those who did appeal, a fifth said it was because the PCN had been issued ‘unfairly’. Another 15 per cent said their offence was accidental due to unclear or confusing signage or road markings.

A fifth of drivers said the enforcement of low emission zones in major cities and the introduction of contentious Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) had also increased the likelihood of receiving PCNs on certain streets.

Matt Crole-Rees, a spokesman for Confused, said: ‘While fines are meant to keep roads safe, our research shows a growing number of motorists feel the system isn’t always clear or fair.

‘Confusing signage, changing road rules and limited parking all increase the chances of drivers being fined, particularly in busy areas.

‘When restrictions aren’t easy to understand, it becomes harder for drivers to make confident decisions and avoid costly mistakes.

‘If you receive a PCN, it’s worth taking the time to check whether it’s been issued correctly, as some fines can be challenged, particularly where signage or road markings are unclear.’