Motorists were hit with a record 1,640 parking tickets every hour last year - despite Government promises to crack down on 'bandit' operators.
Ruthless firms issued 14.4million tickets to drivers in the 12 months to April this year - more than 27 every minute.
This breaks the previous record of 12.8million given out in 2023/24 and it is more than double the 6.8million in 2018/2019.
Each ticket can be up to £100, meaning the total daily cost to drivers could be nearly £4million. And the figures apply only to car parks run by private firms, not councils.
Ministers faced fresh calls to get tough on cut-throat companies causing misery for drivers.
