Top 12 parking fine hotspots in Sheffield revealed as council nets £1.6m in one year

And The Star can today reveal the top 12 parking fine hotspots where drivers were slapped with the dreaded yellow ticket.

Ecclesall Road comes out on top with fines totalling more than £60,000, followed by Surrey Street in the city centre where motorist were fined to the tune of £31,512.

Figures released by Sheffield Council under The Star’s Your Right To Know campaigns reveal enforcement officers handed out a whopping 55,734 fines from September 15 to September 16.

These include cars parked on double yellow lines, drivers with expired tickets in parking bays and motorists overstaying their welcome in council-run car parks.

But council bosses are keen to stress all money that is gathered goes straight back into enforcing parking provisions.

Residents and business owners have said they’re ‘not surprised’ by the number of parking fines Sheffield Council have handed out in twelve months – 55, 734, bringing in £1,590,565.

Some questioned the need to come into the city centre at all and others said parking in Sheffield was ‘too expensive’.

Many areas which raked in the most cash were situated in the city centre, near hospitals in Broomhill and streets around Ecclesall Road and Hunters Bar.

Two city centre car parks also made the Top 12 hotspot list.

In a short walk along Norfolk Street on a Friday afternoon, close to the Lyceum and Crucible theatres, I saw two cars had been issued with fines.

Partners in a business around the corner from the theatres said the yellow tickets are very common.

Father and son duo Robert and Matthew Taylor run Taylor Taylor hair salon on Surrey Street – a road which has raked in £31,512 in parking fines for Sheffield City Council in 12 months.

The pair said the business, situated just yards from the power brokers in Sheffield Town Hall, has been directly affected by the ‘unfair’ conditions on the road.

“It does put people off coming – they don’t want to risk it. I’m not surprised the total is that high,” Matthew said. “The gents part of the business has suffered more. They usually come in for a quick cut and then they’re out again.

“It’s been hitting the customers and it happens on a daily basis, people getting fined for going over by one minute.”

Mr Taylor senior said: “How is the city centre supposed to attract new businesses, much-needed big names, when the parking situation is completely unbalanced and unfair?

“Meadowhall has the shops and the free parking which has affected city centre businesses without question.

“What should happen is the council should offer drivers the chance to park for 30 minutes or one hour for free, charge them after that and make it more attractive for people to come into the city centre.”

Katherine Graves, 55, of Chapeltown said she usually avoids Sheffield city centre and prefers to shop and park at Meadowhall and Barnsley town centre.

When asked what she thought about the amount the council had collected in fines, she said: “It’s absolutely disgusting.

“Why don’t they use some of that money to bring parking prices down? It would encourage more people to come into the centre.”

Vera Shrewsbury, 43, of Norfolk Park paid £2 for one hour on Surrey Street.

“There really is not enough space to park and it’s really expensive,” she said.

“£30,000 from fines is a lot of money for just one road.”

Simbarashe Mujakski, 27, of Rotherham, had come into the city centre to drop off some documents on Norfolk Street.

He said: “There is not enough parking around this area. There’s a warden walking around here and I’ve had to spend £1 just to drop something off. It’s expensive – I’ll only be here for five minutes.”

On Ecclesall Road, Lisa Mellingham, 48, of Norton Lees said she wasn’t surprised the road had come top of the fines list but had little sympathy for drivers who get a ticket.

“I can see both sides to this - I completely get Ecclesall Road hasn’t got enough spaces but the rules are there and drivers shouldn’t risk it.”

A Sheffield Council spokesman said: “Parking charges in the city compare favourably with other large cities.

“The city centre has competing demands for parking spaces, from residents, commuters, visitors and shoppers.

“It creates more complex demands for spaces than out of town shopping malls, who need to encourage people to visit the site just to shop.

“It encourages a turnover of spaces, ensuring people can find a space to park, rather than driving around for excessive periods and clogging up the road network.

“If there wasn’t a turnover of spaces city centre retailers would suffer as people wouldn’t be able to just to come shopping.”

THE STATS

Total received by Sheffield Council from parking fines from September 2015 to September 2016 – £1,590,565.47

Tickets issued in this time – 55,734

Top 12 parking fine hotspots across Sheffield account for £284,786

Locations:

1) Ecclesall Road: £61,651

2) Surrey Street, city centre: £31,512

3) Severn Road, Broomhill: £24,460

4) Neill Road, Hunters Bar: £23,060

5) Mushroom Lane, next to Weston Park Museum: £21,412

6) Wellington Street Car Park, city centre: £20,749

7) Northumberland Road, Broomhill: £19,935

8) Thompson Road, Hunters Bar: £18,292

9) Fitzwilliam Street Car Park, city centre: £16,853.00

10) Norfolk Street, city centre: £16,789.00

11) Arundel Street, city centre: £16,533.00

12) Harcourt Road, Crookesmoor: £13,500.00