MORE than 130 people did not pay parking fines in Maldon in the last financial year, the Standard can reveal.

A Freedom of Information request reveals that by the end of the 2016/17 financial year, there was a total of 139 outstanding parking fines for residents which had not been paid.

Maldon District Council offer a 50 per cent discount for people who pay their fines within 14 days, but those who do not can end up being charged up to £95.

The figures are from the financial year immediately following the council’s decision to introduce new parking charges for its Maldon town centre car parks in April 2016 including evening and Sunday charges of £1.

These include Butt Lane, Promenade Park, White Horse Lane and Friary Fields.

The FOI request did not include figures from the previous financial year.

The Standard revealed last year that the council made a profit of more than £400,000 from parking charges in the 2015/16 financial year before the charges were increased.

Bob Boyce MBE, chairman of the council’s community services committee, said: “The council can confirm that at the end of the financial year 2016/17 there were 139 fines for parking violations in council owned car parks outstanding which are subject to further action.

“The council actively pursues debt and is confident all outstanding fines will be settled.

“The number of motorists who fail to pay for the services they have used represents only a small percentage of our customers using the car parks, the majority of which act responsibly.”

A council spokesman also stated that some of the fines recorded unpaid at the time have since been paid.