A ROAD in Minehead has made the top 10 list of streets across Somerset where motorists pick up more parking fines than anywhere else.

The Avenue, one of the main shopping streets in Minehead, was listed at number nine in the table with 449 parking tickets issued in 2025-26, an average of nearly nine fines a week.

Offences committed by drivers during the year were varied, ranging from parking in taxi ranks or suspended areas to staying longer than permitted.

Parking fines, technically known as penalty charge notices (PCNs) are levied against motorists for a range of traffic offences, from overstaying in a pay and display car park to parking on double yellow lines.

A Freedom of Information request revealed Somerset Council’s income from PCNs has doubled from nearly £780,000 in 2020-21 to more than £1.5 million in 2025-26.

PCNs in Somerset are usually £50 for minor contraventions such as overstaying a time limit or not paying for parking, and £70 for more serious issues, including parking on yellow lines, both of which can be halved by paying within 14 days.

The council said parking fines income had to be reinvested in parking or associated services and could not be used for adult social care, children’s social care, or other day to day services.

A spokesperson said: “Any surplus from parking penalties and parking charges is used to cover the costs of running parking services and meeting parking-related obligations.

“Once these costs are met, any remaining surplus is generally restricted to purposes such as public transport, road and highway improvements, parking provision, and local environmental improvements, in line with the statutory framework in England.

“We are not expecting penalty charge notice volumes to increase, and no increase has been built into the medium term financial plan.”