POPLA [Parking on Private Land Appeals] said it received 89,609 appeals in the past year, up 33% from 2018 and 42% from 2017.

One reason for the sharp rise was the decision by the British Parking Association to extend POPLA’s remit to Scotland and Northern Ireland in May 2019.

But John Gallagher, lead adjudicator at POPLA, said motorists also have more awareness of their right to appeal tickets issued in privately managed car parks.

He said: “The increase in privately owned car parks and Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras has meant that motorists are more aware than ever of private parking conditions and their right to appeal a ticket.

“This, coupled with the POPLA service to include Scotland and Northern Ireland, saw is receive record numbers of appeals in the past year.

“If a motorist feels they have a strong case, we would encourage them to appeal to us. We would also recommend that they provide as much information and evidence as possible to help their case.”

Of the 79,962 appeals POPLA completed in 2019, 32,012 – 40% – resulted in the parking charge being cancelled either through the appeal being allowed or the parking operator deciding not to contest the appeal.

Common reasons for an appeal included honest mistakes such as keying errors when entering a registration number, misperception of terms on signs and confusion around grace periods before and after a parking session.

New rules came into force last week making it easier for drivers to appeal tickets issued for making minor errors when keying-in their registration number when paying for parking.