ISLINGTON Council has topped a list nationally for the number of penalty charge notices (PCNs) issued to drivers.

More than 1,000 penalties are handed out every day in the borough – meaning the Town Hall collects more than £300,000 a week from hapless motorists.

A PCN can be issued when a driver makes an illegal move, whether it is driving down a one-way street or parking in the wrong place.

The figures were collated by Churchills motor insurance company who sent Freedom of Information requests to all local authorities asking for the data. They received responses from 230 of them.

It covers the period between January 2020 to June 2022 – a time when the council was reordering the map with its low traffic neigh­bourhoods (LTN) policy and road closures.

Council chiefs want to reduce pollution from cars and increase walking and cycling.

At the start of the month, Islington announced it would cover 70 per cent of the borough in LTNs – effectively banning cars from driving through Islington unless using boundary roads by 2025.

While the number of PCNs issued for the whole of the country is just under 15,000 per day, Islington is not alone in issuing far more than the national picture. In neighbouring boroughs such as Westminster, Lambeth and Waltham Forest, which also have a swathe of new LTNs, data also shows high levels of PCNs.

Last year the Tribune reported on how the council has made just under £11million in PCNs over the past two years. Three cameras, based in Highbury Hill, Aubert Park and Canonbury Place, brought in £1million each.

The council has pledged to consult more widely on future schemes, although there was outcry when a recent public meeting was not halted when a number of LTN objectors were unable to gain entrance.

A council press officer said: “Islington is one of the most densely populated boroughs in the country, which means that parking spaces are at a premium and space for parking needs to be properly managed.

“The council simply enforces existing parking laws, issuing fines when the law is not followed.

“In all people-friendly streets neighbourhoods, the council puts in place signage to warn motorists when they are approaching a camera-enforced filter, to ensure that as few people as possible pass through these filters.”