COUNTY: Dorset County Council figures reveal that around £1,600 in parking fees has been written-off because foreign visitors failed to pay.
There were four unpaid and written-off parking tickets in Bridport, and one in Lyme Regis, since the start of the financial year.
The figures relate to on-road parking only.
Elsewhere 23 tickets issued in the Purbeck area were left unpaid, nine in Dorchester, seven in Christchurch, two in Sherborne, and three in North Dorset.
Andrew Martin, Dorset County Council’s head of highways, said: “We try and recover as many parking fines as we can, but it is a balance to make sure that it isn’t costing us more to chase after the money than it is worth.
“Cracking down on illegal parking is just one part of managing the county’s highways to keep Dorset moving.”
West Dorset District Council, whose remit for parking tickets concerns off-road parking, said that they did not keep information on the vehicle registration nationality found in violation of parking regulations.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here