4,000 parking tickets were issued in Coleraine

In stark contrast not one driver in Dungiven was penalised over the same period.

A breakdown of parking tickets issued in towns across the East Londonderry constituency was provided to the assembly following a question by DUP member Gregory Campbell.

The figures show that just eight drivers received fines in Dungiven in 2014, and none last year.

However, motorists in Coleraine received 4,000 tickets for parking breaches in 2015.

In Limavady, more than 1,000 tickets were issued last year, with almost 400 penalties imposed in Portstewart and 529 in Portrush.

Regional development minister Michelle McIlveen said the number of penalty notices issued “depends on many factors, including the size of the town, the extent of parking restrictions and the volume of traffic”.

Ms McIlveen said: “These factors, plus the level of illegal parking, will influence where and how often traffic attendants are deployed.

“Traffic attendants will issue a penalty charge notice to any vehicle parked in contravention of a parking restriction, however they must always afford drivers in or at their vehicle the opportunity to drive away before attempting enforcement.”

The minister added: “These factors, in combination with the varying levels of parking restrictions that require enforcing, are the primary reasons for the varying numbers of penalty charge notices issued.”

Last year it was reported that no parking tickets had been issued in Coalisland, Co Tyrone, for five successive years.

A total of 108,000 parking tickets were issued across almost 100 villages, towns and cities in the north during 2014.

Threats were made to parking attendants in more than 100 cases across Northern Ireland in an 18 month period from 2014, with some being warned they would be “burned out of their homes” by irate drivers.

Figures show that there were 110 incidents of threatening behaviour towards parking attendants reported to police from May 2014 to December 2015.