MORE than half of drivers who challenge parking fines in the North Yorkshire area are let off, figures have shown.

North Yorkshire County Council received 11,058 initial challenges to fines between January and October 2016 and accepted 5,765 of them - amounting to 52 per cent.

The acceptance rate of challenges in North Yorkshire is among the highest in the country.

The figures from The Press Association show the likelihood of getting off a parking fine depends on which area of the country drivers get a ticket, with some councils approving as few as one in ten challenges while others accept nearly every appeal.

On average just over a third of initial driver challenges to on-street parking fines made to local authorities in England between January and October 2016 were successful.

There is a huge variation between councils, with Runnymede, Surrey, accepting just nine per cent of appeals while Basingstoke and Deane, Hampshire - just 30 miles away - approved 95 per cent.

Guy Anker, managing editor at MoneySavingExpert.com, said: “If the councils accepting the fewest challenges are wrongly rejecting claims it’s an absolute disgrace.

“We hear so many stories from motorists who are victims of overzealous parking wardens.

“Often the real problem is really poor, terrible signing. People are often completely bamboozled, can I park here or can I not?”

Mr Anker said that after having a challenge rejected by the council, around 50 per cent of drivers who make a further appeal to the independent Traffic Penalty Tribunal are successful. He said: “I would encourage everyone who feels they are being harshly treated by their council to make an appeal to the independent arbitrator.”

Every council was asked for its figures for parking fines, with 98 responding. City of York Council was not included in the figures but other councils in Yorkshire included Sheffield, which accepted 33.93 per cent of initial appeals and Kirklees Council, which accepted 36.94 per cent.