Donegal County Council has spent more than €6,000 posting reminder letters to motorists who have not paid parking fines.
Figures obtained by Donegal Daily show the local authority sent more than 6,270 reminder letters in the 18 months between January 2018 and October 2019 – an average of 66 every week.
Thousands of letters are posted by council staff annually under the provisions of the Local Authorities (Traffic Wardens) Act 1975 to the registered owner of any vehicle which has been issued with a €40 fine.
The letters, which are typically sent a week after the fine has been issued, contain details of the alleged offence including the date, time and location as well as the registration number of the offending vehicle.
The letters advise recipients that the original fine has not been paid and that it will increase to €60 if not paid within 28 days of the alleged offence.
In its response to the query, a council spokesperson said that “every effort is made to pursue all outstanding fixed charge notices up to and including court proceedings.”
In cases where parking fines remain unpaid, the local authority ordinarily initiates court proceedings against the registered owner.
It is understood that thousands of cases come before the district court every year relating to the non-payment of fines.
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