Manchester has been revealed as the worst parking ticket hotspot in England outside London.

Parking attendants issued more tickets during the twelve months up to March 2002 than in any other local authority.

The 125,747 tickets - for �40 each - raised �2.7m in revenue for the city council.

But 70% of the 902 motorists who appealed were successful in overturning their fines.

'Hardly excessive'

The figures are due to be released in January 2003 by the National Parking Adjudication Service (NPAS).

But a Manchester City Council spokeswoman insisted the city's parking attendants, employed by Control Plus, were not being overzealous.

She said: "125,000 tickets were issued in 2000/1, however, this hardly seems excessive.

"Less than 1% of the people who receive tickets in Manchester appeal to the adjudication service."

Independent lawyers

The city has been responsible for parking enforcement since 1999 and is the largest authority involved in the NPAS scheme for the full year.

Parking attendants in the next largest city, Bristol, issued 61,317 tickets over the same period.

The NPAS is staffed by independent lawyers appointed by the judiciary.

They hear cases which have been rejected by a council's own parking ticket appeal system.