For fines issued on private land, the penalty amount charged can be dramatically higher.

However, companies can only charge a penalty proportionate to the loss they claim to have incurred, now recommended at around £100 by the British Parking Association for its members.

The days of £1,000 on-the-spot fines are over, no matter what the signs say.

The British Parking Association, which runs the Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA) service, said: “The driver or registered keeper must challenge the fine directly with the parking company that issued the fine. If the company upholds the fine, the driver or keeper must then be offered the right to appeal to the independent POPLA adjudication service.”

Edmund King, president of the AA, said: “If you’ve been issued with a ticket, check who has issued it and then take photos of where the car is parked, any signs that are not clear or visible, and photograph any ticket machines not working. Then appeal straight away.”

Miller points out that with private parking fines, the penalty ticket may not arrive for some days or weeks through the post.

She said: “This delay can make the ticket more difficult to contest. However, you should make your case as soon as possible.”

A spokesman for Wolseley UK said: ‘Many fleet operators simply accept parking fines as part and parcel of this industry.

“This needn’t be the case. With a large fleet, if we blindly paid every fine, it would cost a fortune.

"We assess every fine and challenge those we feel are unfair. In many cases, the appeal is successful and it costs nothing to challenge it.”

Challenging a parking fine can be time consuming, but the cost saving to van drivers and operators can be significant.

Tips for challenging a parking fine

• Establish who has issued the parking fine
• Take pictures of where your van is parked, any obscured or misleading signage, or broken ticket machines
• Contest the ticket immediately
• If the fine is upheld by a private parking company, appeal to POPLA (Parking on Private Land Appeals)
• If an appeal to POPLA fails, you can contest the ticket in court