The personal driver records of more than three million motorists were sold to parking companies in the last year, more than 10 times the number snapped up nine years ago.
Figures suggest the Government’s Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) received around £31.6m by selling information to enforcement firms.
While parking firms obtained around 272,000 records from the quango in 2006/07, details of more than three million motorists are thought to have been purchased in the past year.
Parking firms are charged £2.50 a time for vehicle records, allowing them to chase up on unpaid parking tickets.
The DVLA said that it did not make a profit from the sale of such information and would only share details with accredited parking companies that have a ‘reasonable cause’ to pursue a claim.
Reports suggest a 2012 ban on clamping cars on private land had seen more companies employing direct correspondence to chase non-payment.
Director of the RAC Foundation Stephen Glaister told the Times: ‘The agency says it only shares data with those who show “reasonable cause” for having it, but when you dish out three million records annually how many checks can be made?’
A DVLA official said: ‘We do not make a profit on this service the fee merely covers the cost of processing the applications.’
Earlier this year communities secretary Eric Pickles outlined sweeping reforms to parking set for introduction this summer. These include a 10 minute ‘grace period’ for motorists overstaying their ticket, a ban on using CCTV to issue automatic fines in certain locations and greater community powers to review double yellow lines.
