£2m in parking fines in JUST three years

Over the same period, the council has dished out 73,068 penalties – averaging just over 24,000 fines a year.

But bosses have insisted that the council has made no money from the fines, and that all the income went towards paying the 16 parking warden's wages.

Despite the number of fines handed out, a freedom of information request revealed that just 83 of these fines have been appealed.

The TaxPayers' Alliance accepted that fines were necessary, but insisted that common sense must be used and urged wardens to not dish out hefty fines when they aren't deserved.

Jonathan Isaby, the TPA's chief executive, said: "When parked cars are causing an obstruction then fines are sometimes necessary but the council must ensure that they don't use fines as a means of plugging gaps in their finances.

"Between excise duty and fuel duty motorists are already over taxed, so further punitive charges will squeeze their budgets even further. Wardens must use common sense and stop dishing out hefty fines when they aren't deserved."

But councillor Steve Evans, the cabinet member for city environment who has responsibility for parking services, insisted that the council is not using the fines to plug gaps in their finances – as suggested by Mr Isaby. He added that the council did not make a penny off these fines, as the money went towards paying the 16 wardens who enforce the parking fines.

He said: "The money is to pay for the 16 wardens that enforce people who don't park properly. The council break even, they do not make any money from these fines."

He declined to say how much the wardens earned per year, but if all the £1,926,584 made from the fines went on wages, then they would be earning a little over £40,000 per year.

The number of fines handed out and the amount of money brought in has decreased over the three years. In the 2012-13 financial year, 24,685 fines were handed out with £679,876 received in income. By the 2014-15 financial year this had decreased to 23,249 fines earning £586,754. 25,134 fines were handed out in 2013-14, with an income of £659,954.

As revealed by the Express & Star last month, pay and display machines in the city netted the council £11 million in the past five years.

This figure includes £2.3m last year alone.

The council has 47 pay and display machines in the city for off-street parking, and 29 for on-street.