PARKING fines are on the rise across Inverclyde - with more than 4,000 tickets issued in the first six months of this year alone.

New figures reveal that the number of penalty charge notices (PCNs) issued by council traffic wardens shot up by 13 per cent between January and June compared with the same period in 2017.

In the first six months of this year, a total of 4,412 parking tickets were handed out across Greenock, Port Glasgow, Kilmacolm and Inverkip - up from 3,898 recorded 12 months ago.

The biggest increase was in Gourock, where there was a 35 per cent surge in the number of fines handed out.

Meanwhile in Kilmacolm there was a drop of almost a third.

Council officials say the rise is largely due to having a full complement of staff.

Martin McNab, head of environmental and public protection, said: "The overall number of PCNs served in Inverclyde increased by 13.2 per cent between 2017 and 2018. "Some of this increase is as a result of a full team of parking attendants being available in 2018.

"For periods of 2017 the numbers available were down for various reasons. "The availability of a full team has also meant that a full shift pattern, including regular enforcement on Saturdays, has been implemented in 2018."

There were 392 fines issued in Port Glasgow in the first six months of the year - up by 78 - and 12 in Inverkip - an increase of 11.

The fines are for a range of offences, including parking in 'no waiting' areas, staying for longer than permitted, failing to display a parking disc and stopping at restricted areas outside schools.

The increases come despite the removal of the Kilmacolm disc scheme, extensions to residents' parking permits and waiting times in parts of Greenock and alterations to the rules in Gourock.

Last month, Gourock councillor Chris McEleny hit out at the discrepancies between the village and other parts of Inverclyde, saying the system is currently a 'postcode lottery'.

Council parking fines cost £60 or £30 if they are paid within 14 days.

Decriminalised parking enforcement (DPE) was introduced in Inverclyde four years ago following the withdrawal of traffic wardens by the then- Strathclyde Police force.

The local authority said it was forced to step in to curb 'chaotic and inconsiderate' parking, particularly in town and village centres.

Mr McNab said: "All PCN income went to the roads service in order to keep a clear division between enforcement and income. "The parking attendants do not, and have never had, any targets on the number of PCNs served."