Parking fines generated more than �700,000 for Norwich City Council in the last financial year, new figures have revealed.

Between the start of April 2010 and the end of March this year, the council's parking enforcement officers issued 25,519 tickets to drivers parked illegally around the city.

Fewer penalty charge notices were issued compared to the previous 12 months when 26,735 penalty charge notices were issued.

But the amount the city council generated from the parking tickets went up from �640,945 up to �705,475.

There are two tiers for penalty notices. The most severe offences include parking on double yellow lines or in a disabled space without having a disabled badge. Such offences carry a �70 fine.

The lower level offences, such as staying in a paid for parking space beyond the allotted time, carry a fine of �50.

Both fees can be halved if the fine is paid within two weeks.

It also emerged that 4,143 - about 16pc of tickets issued - were cancelled due to extenuating circumstances - such as extreme hardship, production of a disabled badge or a faulty car-park payment machine.

The figures were revealed on the same day that a report by the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, the body which deals with appeals against parking tickets, showed that in the previous financial year (2009/10) almost 4.25 million parking tickets were issued by councils.

That was up on just over four million the previous 12 months as 50 more councils in England and Wales joined the scheme which enables local authorities to issue the notices.

Nationally, 57pc of motorists who appealed to that tribunal were successful, with 56pc (72 out of 128) of the Norwich drivers who appealed winning their appeal.

The tribunal's chief adjudicator Caroline Sheppard said councils should ensure the use of CCTV enforcement was 'properly supporting their transport objectives and that it is being applied fairly and with integrity'.

She also called for the setting up of a body to deal with complaints outside the tribunal's jurisdiction, with an increasing number of 'worrying complaints' from people hit with charges from private car parks.

Norwich is currently the only council in Norfolk which has civil enforcement officers.

Police traffic wardens are currently responsible for enforcement in all other parts of Norfolk, but Norfolk County Council is due to take on responsibility for parking enforcement in the rest of the county later this year.