New statistics have revealed drivers who were caught flouting parking restrictions in Norfolk paid a record amount in fines last year - almost £1.2m.
And a controversial hike in how much councils charged people for permits to park outside their homes meant that figure exceeded £1m for the first time.
A further £1.5m was also paid by drivers buying parking tickets in on-street pay and display spaces in Norwich, Great Yarmouth and King's Lynn.
Council bosses said the money generated goes back into the Norfolk Parking Partnership - a collaboration between Norfolk's councils - and is used to cover the spending on enforcement, maintenance and back office costs.
New figures, revealed and discussed at a meeting of the partnership on Wednesday (June 14) showed 39,023 penalty charge notices were issued across Norfolk in 2022/23, up from 37,729 the previous year.
Penalty charge notices are issued by civil enforcement officers to drivers who ignore restrictions, such as by parking on yellow lines, not buying pay and display tickets or staying too long in time-limited spaces.
Motorists in Norwich paid £618,188 as a result of having 22,666 notices slapped on their windscreens, up 11pc on 20,405 the previous year.
And, adding in the £532,131 from the 16,357 tickets issued in the rest of Norfolk, that meant drivers handed over £1.15m, up on £1.06m the year before.
The charges range from £25 to £105, depending on the seriousness of the infringement and how quickly they are paid.
Graham Plant, chairman of the partnership and Norfolk County Council's cabinet member for highways, transport and infrastructure, said the enforcement scheme had to "wash its own face".
He said: "It does that through the Penalty Charge Notices issued, resident parking permits and any other way we can make money."
He said a relatively small surplus was produced each year, once the "very expensive" cost of having people out enforcing infringements and the processing of fines and permits in the back office were paid for.
The partnership is forecast to make just under £60,000 this year.
The meeting also heard how people in the county paid just under £1.01m for residents' parking permits in 2022/23, up on £898,548 the previous year.
The bulk of that figure (£917,118) came from people in Norwich buying the permits.
The parking partnership agreed to increase the cost of residents' permits last year - a move which sparked controversy.
Annual resident and visitor permits in Yarmouth and King's Lynn went up from £40 to £50 a year.
In Norwich, where permits depend on the length of vehicles, the annual cost for a medium-sized vehicle increased by 20pc from £37.20 to £46.50.
But Mr Plant said such zones benefitted people who live in them.
READ MORE: More than 11,000 Norwich drivers hit with bus lane fines
The latest statistics from the partnership also revealed pay and display income from on-street car parking in Norwich, Great Yarmouth and King's Lynn had dropped slightly.
In 2021/22 those payments for parking tickets had netted the partnership £1.06m, but that was down to £1.03m for 2022/23 - despite prices going up.
Ian Gregory, better parking strategy manager for the Norfolk Parking Partnership, said that was partly down to Great Yarmouth - which generates the most money from pay and display tickets - having fewer visitors than the previous "bumper" year.
He said: "We've had over 6,000 less parking stays in the resort this year, which is reflected in the income."
Martin Chisholm, business manager at West Norfolk Council, said last year's exceptionally hot summer weather had actually put people off heading for seaside resorts.
Martin Booth, a Labour councillor on Broadland District Council, said: "The general member of the public thinks councils make squillions from parking fines and seeing this, we obviously don't.
"People assume we use parking as a cash cow, which we obviously don't."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here