REIGATE and Banstead Borough Council has made more than half a million pounds from parking penalties in the last year.
Figures handed over to the Mirror, following a Freedom of Information request, show the authority made £585,545 from 13,801 penalty charge notices (PCN) issued between June 1, 2013 and May 31, 2014.
The figures reveal High Street in Reigate is the most ticketed area in the borough, with a whopping 848 handed out here.
Aside from goods loading spaces, the road only allows parking for 30 minutes Monday to Saturday between 8am and 6.30pm.
A Reigate Hill resident told the Mirror about some of the difficulties she's faced parking in the town.
She said: "It's a nightmare to park at Morrisons because the park [Priory Park] is so popular. I sometimes end up going to Redhill because there's more space. I just can't get parked at all. I think the shops are struggling because the parking is just a nightmare."
Not all motorists agree there is a problem however.
Adjacent Church Street offers parking for up to one hour and Mrs Wood , who often parks there after dropping her daughter off at school in Reigate, said: "I've never had a ticket. I appreciate that there's a limit and I keep to that limit. I only use it this time of the day [morning]. I live in Dorking and we do not have this facility, there's only one area where you can park for half an hour."
If a vehicle is found to be in breach of the council's parking regulations, the penalty is either £70 (reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days) or £50 (reduced to £25 if paid within 14 days).
Other top ticketing locations include Victoria Road and High Street in Horley.
Fiona Stimpson, chairman of the Horley and District Chamber of Commerce, said: "I saw one of my colleagues parking up in High Street and as I went past I saw the enforcement officer; I could see him almost in glee pulling his notebook out of his pocket."
Miss Stimpson added that although she frequently uses a hairdressers in the town centre, the heavy parking enforcement might put others off.
"Other people might think about going to another town," she said.
"I have chosen to make the choice of coming into Horley and going there and I happen to like the hairdressers, but other people might say, 'Oh I can't be bothered I will just find another'."
Jacqui Joseph, parking manager at Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, said there was an appeals process for motorists who felt wronged, but added: "It is entirely up to the recipient of the ticket whether or not to appeal but appeals are generally only successful when the PCN was wrongly issued."
She added: "We take contraventions on the highway very seriously and feel that it is important that residents and visitors to the borough find and can move safely around the borough in the process of parking.
"We've carried out a lot of work to help tackle inconsiderate parking in the borough, and work closely with schools, police, residents, Surrey County Council and others to make sure that issues of illegal and inconsiderate parking are addressed fairly and according to the Traffic Management Act 2004."
Do you think parking is a problem? Call the newsdesk on 01737 783873 or e-mail editor@surreymirror.co.uk
