Responsible Richmond motorists have been praised after new data showed this borough ranks among the lowest in London for handing out parking fines.

Research by Compare the Market found 58,306 penalty charge notices were handed out in the past 12 months in Richmond.

This brought in nearly £2.5 million for Richmond Council.

It ranked Richmond 17th out of 19 London boroughs which responded (there are 32 London boroughs in total).

Topping the charts was Newham which handed out an incredible 239,000 fines, bringing in £10.6 million for the local council coffers.

The data shows that most London boroughs hand out more fines than anywhere else in the UK, including entire major cities: only councils in Glasgow, Birmingham, Brighton and Liverpool received more in revenue from parking fines than Richmond.

"The council credits these new results to the number of residents who are acting considerately and complying with parking rules; as well as an enforcement culture that is centred on supporting safe streets, rather than penalising car users," Richmond Council said.

Data compiled by price comparison website Compare the Market shows Richmond upon Thames amongst the London boroughs to issue the fewest on-street Penalty Charge Notices to motorists.

Cllr Alexander Ehmann is chair of the Transport and Air Quality Committee.

He said: "Rather than being a local authority at war with motorist, we have worked hard to get the balance right and despite Richmond upon Thames having the highest car ownership of any London borough, the data underlines that enforcement has been even-handed and proportionate. Safety on our roads is paramount, which is why, in 2020, we've added new enforcement officers to our ranks and introduced our flagship 20mph speed limit.

"As a council, we've also injected much needed attention into improved air quality. That is why we gave our enforcement officers new powers to enforce idling infringements and have focussed these powers on schools and level-crossings. This new data shows we did all this while avoiding the combative approach that some authorities adopt toward road users.

"Richmond is a council that wants to help residents do the right thing. Whether it's transitioning to less polluting forms of transport or ensuring that their necessary use of personal vehicles is as safe as possible for other road users. This data shows that Richmond is leading the way with a fair safe and environmentally responsible approach to transport in our capital."

In July 2019 the council declared a climate emergency and asked residents across the borough to help develop a Climate Emergency Strategy. Included within the strategy was a commitment to help support local people to make their own changes, including their primary modes of transport.

Richmond Council has invested heavily in sustainable transport infrastructure to support residents transitioning from car dependency to alternative and more sustainable modes of transport.

These measures have included several new cycle lanes across the borough and the announcement of the council's intention to take part in a London wide e-scooter trial.