Tens of Thousands Receive Motoring Fines in Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire County Council issued more than 75,000 motoring fines in the last financial year, reflecting an increase compared to the previous year’s 71,765 penalties.

These latest figures were presented to councillors on January 14 and highlight the council’s ongoing efforts to enforce parking and traffic regulations across the county.

Out of the 75,821 penalty charge notices (PCNs) issued, fewer than 1%—just 37 cases—were appealed to the independent traffic penalty tribunal, indicating a high rate of compliance and effective dispute management.

Simon Searer, senior parking appeals officer, explained that the council oversees on-street parking enforcement and manages parking appeals. The county operates 163 pay-and-display machines and 18 automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras to monitor compliance.

“In 2024 and 2025, we issued approximately 75,000 PCNs,” Searer said. “Of those, around 53,000 related to civil parking enforcement—the yellow tickets commonly seen on windscreens—and approximately 22,000 were for bus lane and moving traffic violations.”

Moving traffic enforcement covers offenses such as banned right turns, no-entry violations, yellow box junction infringements, and other driving prohibitions.

The low number of appeals suggests effective early dispute resolution processes. “The minimal escalation to independent appeals shows our team’s strong initial handling of cases,” Searer added.

The parking team also receives regular refresher training to better manage appeals. “Our staff are more prepared when dealing with cases at appeal stages,” he noted.

Looking ahead, the council plans to improve infrastructure by replacing missing signs and road markings. In the current financial year, nine kilometres of road lining were completed in Gloucester, Cheltenham, Bourton-on-the-Water, and Stow-on-the-Wold, with plans to expand this work further in the next year.