More than £800,000 was raised through on-street parking fines across Cumbria last year.

A report published by Cumbria County Council reveals that more than 30,000 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) were issued between April 1, 2016 and March 31 this year.

The most PCNs - totalling nearly 10,000 - were issued to motorists who had parked in a disc parking place without clearly displaying their disc.

However the council said this was lower than the number issued for the same offence during 2015/16, when the figure stood at 12,003.

A further 7,805 on-street PCNs were also issued for parking longer than permitted, while 6,964 were issued for parking in a restricted street during prescribed hours.

No on-street PCNs were issued for parking in a loaded gap or parking in a suspended bay or space, while only one ticket was issued for parking in a place designated for police vehicles.

Of the 31,295 PCNs issued across Cumbria in the 12-month period, 17,986 were issued in the lower band - a £50 fine reduced to £25 if paid within 14 days from the date of issue.

A further 13,309 were issued in the higher band - £70 reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days.

The county council’s parking services annual report for 2016/17 reveals that a total of £841,728 was raised through the issuing of on-street PCNs and that 24,915 of the 31,295 issued were paid. More than 20,000 of those were paid at a discounted rate.

A further £19,428 was raised through contractors' waivers and other income, with total gross expenditure amounting to £950,832.

The report said: “In 2016/17 the on-street parking account outturn position showed a net expenditure of £89,676 compared to £168,404 in 2015/16.”

It continued: “The current budget for parking services is a net expenditure of £113,10, therefore the service has come in under budget by £23,000.”

The report also reveals that 89 off-street PCNs were issued in 2016/17, with 44 of those paid - 41 of which were at a discounted rate. The total sum raised from these notices was £1,265.

The report, which was made available at a meeting of Cumbria County Council’s local committee for Carlisle yesterday, added: “The service will continue to be reviewed with the aim to reduce expenditure further in 2017/18.

“The reshaping of the service will continue exploring more cost effective ways to deliver parking enforcement and administer the various parking permit schemes.”