A list of the UK places where motorists are most likely to get handed a parking fine has been released… and it’s grim reading for Mancs.
That’s because our city has, unfortunately, claimed the top spot.
In recent months, Manchester has found itself either at the top of, or ranking amongst, a couple of not-so-desirable lists, including being home to the ‘nosiest’ neighbours, the city with the lowest rate of fixed reported potholes, and, probably the worst of them all, one of the UK’s ‘chlamydia capitals’.
And now it seems we’ve done it again – but this time around, it’s drivers who need to take note and keep an eye on where they leave their vehicles.
Manchester’s less-than-ideal new title as the UK’s number one parking fine hotspot comes after injury lawyer experts at Claims.co.uk recently carried out a study where they analysed Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) data from 2020 to 2021 in a bid to find out which towns, cities, and regions have been the hardest hit by motoring fines.
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On top of this, they also looked at which UK areas residents have been the most successful at appealing these notices.
As mentioned, Manchester came in at number one on the top 10 list, with an eye-watering rate of 99,348 PCNs issued per 100,000 people – which is a whopping 901.33% higher than the national average of 9,922 notices per 100,000 people.
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Manchester saw the most penalty charge notices issued of any area in the UK, with 546,270 fines issued overall, and considering that the population of the area that the City of Manchester covers is only 549,853, that’s almost one penalty charge notice for every person.
Of those 546,270 fines, only 660 were appealed, and just 478 were successfully overturned following those appeals.
Brighton and Hove, Reading, Cambridgeshire, and Nottingham round out the top five.
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The top 10 parking fine hotspots in the UK
Manchester
Brighton & Hove
Reading
Cambridgeshire
Nottingham
Bristol
Cardiff
Slough
Portsmouth
Derby
The city has been named the UK’s top PCN hotspot / Credit: Ocean Outdoor
Elsewhere on the list, Bristol has secured sixth place, with the Welsh capital of Cardiff trailing not so far behind, followed by Slough and Portsmouth, and the midlands city region of Derby rounding out the top 10 rankings.
Across each area of the UK, the average number of PCNs issued over the period worked out to be 26,512 – which is a total of 9,922 per 100,000 people.
On the other end of the spectrum, Hyndburn in Lancashire was revealed as the UK area that’s the least likely to be hit with a PCN, seeing only a minuscule 46 fines issued between 2020 and 2021, which works out to a rate of just 56 fines per 100,000 people.
A company has created some extremely sarcastic greeting and birthday cards mocking Co-op Live
Danny Jones
A UK card company has decided to join in with the pile on over Co-op Live’s chaotic ‘opening’ weeks by creating a series of greeting and birthday cards mocking the arena and its ongoing saga.
If you’re a deeply sarcastic person who struggles to be sincere with those you hold nearest and dearest or simply want to get a co-worker something that says we care that you’re leaving but not so much as to let go without one final dig, these are right up your street.
So, with that in mind, greeting card company thortful – who are just as good at novelty as they are being actually thoughtful when it comes to words – have come up with a few clever little ways of wishing someone a happy birthday or congratulating them on their new home at the arena’s expense.
There’s a new home version of this one too.(Credit: thortful)
Not bad, to be fair.
Tim Leiweke, Chairman and CEO of Oak View Group (which owns and operates Co-op Live), recently released a statement offering his ‘sincere apologies’ and explaining the steps being taken during the venue’s ‘short pause’.
He admitted, “It’s not been the smooth start we had planned for, and I know that has caused a huge amount of disruption and frustration to thousands of people”, adding that they are “working incredibly hard to get the building up and running, and we look forward to welcoming you to the arena from 14 May 2024.”
The London-based card company is known for lots of comedy captions and with every Tom, Dick and Harry taking a pop at the venue already, they clearly thought ‘We might as well join in’.
In fact, they’ve been taking the mick ever since the whole thing kicked off.
The date mentioned above will see Manc music legends Elbow arrive as the venue’s new opening act artists after so many other acts ended up having their gigs pulled and we can only hope and pray that everything is on course for next week.
With more and more names being announced for their 2024 and 2025 calendar left right and centre, the most recent being rapper Travis Scott, it looks as though they’re confident that the arena will open and live up to the expectations it has built up given its billing as the biggest indoor entertainment in the UK.
As for thortful and everyone else, we just have to wait with bated breath to see if there’s set to be another twist in this tale and enjoy the light-hearted jokes in the meantime.
You can now catch a direct flight from Manchester to Italy’s ‘best kept secret’ for only £15
Emily Sergeant
Looking for your next holiday destination? Well now you can catch a direct flight from Manchester to Italy’s ‘best kept secret’.
Temperatures have finally been hotting up, and the rain has mostly cleared off across Greater Manchester over this last week or so, but as the sun hasn’t always shown its face, this means many of us will likely be thinking about hopping on a plane to another country where the warmer weather is more of a regular occurrence.
Coincidentally, Manchester Airport has just become the first UK airport to form a direct flight link to the stunning southern Italian region of Calabria.
You can now catch a direct flight from Manchester to Italy’s ‘best kept secret’ / Credit: Unsplash | Wikimedia Commons
If you’re unfamiliar with Calabria, not only is it one of Italy’s most affordable regions to visit, but it also home to some outstanding white sandy beaches, picturesque scenery, culture and architecture, and a truly authentic food scene.
The region is often dubbed one of Italy’s “best kept secrets” by travel writers and tourists.
Having officially taken to the skies at the end of last month (28 April), flights from Manchester Airport to Reggio Calabria are now running exclusively with Ryanair on Wednesdays and Sundays, and you can book your trip now from as little as £14.99 per person one-way.
Calabria is found at ‘toe’ of Italy’s ‘boot’, and the city of Reggio Calabria faces the island of Sicily across Strait of Messina to provide visitors with an ideal base to explore the wider region.
As mentioned, the Calabria region is one of the most affordable parts of Italy to visit, and while it has long been popular with Italian tourists, international visitors are only just beginning to discover this hidden gem.
Manchester Airport’s Chief Commercial Officer, Stephen Turner, says the airport is “proud” to connect people in the North with an “outstanding range of destinations”, with over 200 routes served by more than 50 airlines, but he admitted that Ryanair’s new service to Reggio Calabria is “an exciting one”.
Flights are now open to book from as little as £14.99 per person one-way / Credit: Suhyeon Choi (via Unsplash)
“It’s a brand-new destination for us,” Mr Turner explained.
“And it isn’t currently served by any other UK airport either, so it gives our passengers even more choice.
“Visitors travelling to Calabria will love the blend of culture, cuisine and spectacular beaches that it provides, so we’re confident that this new route will be popular with our passengers.”