Police have issued a parking fine roughly every 15 minutes in Elgin this year as part of a crackdown on offenders, new figures have revealed.
Moray Council authorised up to £10,000 to be spent on police overtime this year in an attempt to end the free-for-all in the town centre.
Complaints about vehicles on pavements, driving across the pedestrianised Plainstones and being abandoned on double yellow lines have risen in recent years.
Now figures have revealed the number of fines issued by the extra officers on the beat have soared by an incredible 429% on town centre streets as a result of the blitz.
Taking on the responsibility of issuing fines on Elgin’s streets has been ruled out by Moray Council due to there “not being a positive sustainable financial case”.
However, analysis of the figures obtained by the Press and Journal has revealed income from the fines is nearly treble the cost of the police overtime.
In full: How many parking fines police have issued in Elgin
Up to £10,000 from Elgin’s common good fund was authorised to be spent on police overtime to focus on parking enforcement earlier this year.
- Analysis of the figures shows the number of fines issued on the High Street, Commerce Street, Batchen Street and South Street alone in the town centre alone has soared from 130 in 2023 to 558 in 2024 – a phenomenal increase of 429%.
- In total, police have issued 964 parking fines in Elgin this year.
- Fines on the High Street alone have increased from 38 in 2023 to 294 in 2024.
- North Guildry Street received the second highest number of fines in the whole town with 138.
- Thunderton Place was another hotspot with 67 penalties this year while Batchen Lane had 49.
- Police confirmed they used the money on 256 hours of officer overtime, which averages out at one fine every 15mins and 55 secs.
How much have Elgin drivers been fined?
Moray Council has previously ruled out taking responsibility for enforcing illegal parking on Elgin’s streets, stressing it was not financially sustainable for rural local authorities.
Instead, officials have promoted cheaper alternatives like rising bollards as ways to enforce existing rules for drivers.
Analysis of the figures shows that if every one of the 964 people paid their £30 fine, that would total £28,920.
Meanwhile, Moray Council has confirmed £9,690 has been spent on the crackdown, about a third of the income from the fines.
However, the local authority says court permission for council staff to get authority to issue fines on the streets could cost up to £500,000.
Now you have read all the official figures, have a read of what happened when I spent a day as a traffic warden in Elgin.
Calls for police parking crackdown in Elgin to continue
Elgin Community Council has been a consistent campaigner in calling for action to tackle parking complaints in the town.
Moray Council hasn’t committed any additional funding beyond the initial £10,000, which has now effectively been spent.
However, it is understood the new Elgin Town Board, which has a pot of £20 million of UK Government cash to spend, will consider parking issues.
Community council chairman Alastair Kennedy said: “It would be good if the money generated from these fines can be circulated back into the police so they can keep doing it.
“The number of fines they’ve issued shows the scale of the problem we have, and what can be done if someone is prepared to enforce it.
“I understand the police have stopped doing it now. It’s a pity because it’s still a problem.
“I was driving through the town centre a few days ago and it appeared as though every loading bay was blocked with parked cars.”
Conversation