Town Parking

All towns have extensive car parking facilities and in nearly all you will have to pay. Usually about 50p for the first 1 or 2 hours rising to about £5 for much longer stays.

Many of these car parks are owned and operated by the local district councils. 

National Car Parks (NCP) also provide car parking facilities in city centres, towns, airports, and railway stations. Click here to find their locations and their parking rates.

Street parking is allowed if there are no yellow lines alongside the kerb or other signs indicating that parking is not allowed. 

A single yellow line indicates that you can park only at certain times of day. There will be small signs on a post specifying when you can park.

Double yellow lines and double red lines indicate that you cannot park at any time.

Parking meters are often found in city centres.

In some countries, USA, Canada and Switzerland for instance, you must park facing in the direction of the traffic flow. In the UK it is not a law that is enforced, except of course on one-way streets, but still advisable especially at night.

Most towns employ traffic wardens who are often quick to issue parking tickets for those who park illegally or carelessly.

Other deterrents to illegal parking, especially in congested cities, are the use of wheel clamps to immobilise your vehicle and, where serious congestion is being caused, your vehicle will be removed to a police compound. 

The costs to you will be about £200 or more to cover the cost of having your vehicle towed to the police compound, a fine, your travel costs and inconvenience of getting to the compound.