More than 2000 tickets a year are never paid, according to papers released under Freedom of Information rules, out of nearly 8000 fines handed out every year.

Two out of three unpaid tickets are cancelled by the authority, for example, if it can be proved that a ticket had been bought but wasn’t displayed, but another third – which would have generated £30,000 a year – are ignored.

The figures emerged as the council faces up to serious loss of revenue from fines. The pay-on-foot system in the Kennet Centre multistorey means people can’t get out unless they pay, while nearly two thirds of car parking space is to disappear for the controversial Vision of Newbury projects. Two multistorey car parks are promised for 2009, but the one for Park Way will be not be under council control.

The figures do not include private car parks, such as the one behind HMV in Newbury, and relate to 2004.