West London motorists are continuing to be hit hardest by local council’s traffic wardens.

While penalties fines in Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea has fallen, they still lead the way.

Local authorities raked in £328million from traffic enforcement the 2008/09 financial year according to a Taxpayers' Alliance Freedom of Information request.

Westminster made £35.4m from motorists, more than twice what second placed Kensington & Chelsea banked.

"Cash cows"

The pressure group accused local authorities of treating drivers like 'cash cows.'

There was significantly less milked this year, Westminster's collected almost £9million less that last year.

Islington, Lambeth, and Newham made up the top five.

The two top councils claim such huge totals are inevitable, to protect permit-holding residents from losing their spaces.

Councillor Danny Chalkley, Westminster's cabinet member for city management, said:

"We understand that parking enforcement is not always popular, but it is necessary to protect the safety of motorists and pedestrians and to keep traffic moving.

Every single penny of surplus income collected from parking in Westminster is ploughed straight back into major transport projects and improvements to benefit residents, businesses and visitors to our city."

Borough-by-borough

Westminster £35.4m

K&C £12.88

Islington £10.7m

Lambeth £8.79m

Newham £8.62m

Haringey £7.45m

H&F £6.96m

Hounslow £5.56m

Tower Hamlets £4.57m

Brent £4.14m

Richmond £3.43m

Bromley £3.33m

Lewisham £2.47m

Kingston £2.23m

Hillingdon £2m

Harrow £1.97m

Greenwich £1.7m

Hackney £5.65m

Camden £106,000