Drivers fined more than £1billion-a-year by cash-strapped councils, report reveals

MOTORISTS are being fined more than £1billion a year - sparking claims they are being treated as a “cash cows”.

An RAC Foundation report reveals that 12 million penalty notices are given out every year, the equivalent of one every 2.5 seconds.

It means that nearly a third of Britain’s 40 million drivers are slapped with fines.

The majority - a whopping 8 million - are for parking.

Today’s report also reveals fines for driving in bus lanes has also gone up ten-fold to 1.4million over the last decade.

Tory MP Charlie Elphicke told The Daily Mail: “This is yet more evidence of how local councils are using motorists as cash cows to plug gaps in their own finances.

"It’s high time that they stopped using fines to fleece motorists.

“There is a real concern that camera are used to go after easy pickings when more should be done to tackle dangerous driving.”