£30,640,312.32 - that's how much we've paid in parking fines in Kent over the last five years!

The eye-watering sum is the total reaped in by all councils in Kent since 2003.

But the statistics released under the Freedom of Information Act to the KM Group also reveal the council which issues more parking tickets than any other - and it's Medway.

The county's most law-abiding parkers - or the best at avoiding the parking wardens - live in Ashford, as their council raked in the least amount of money.

According to the figures, Medway Council clocked up the highest amount of money over five years, at £5,623,568.39. Other high earners over five years included Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (£4,786,272), Canterbury City Council (£3,396,789), Maidstone Borough Council (£2,657,499), Dover District Council (£2,294,740.67) and Gravesham Borough Council (£2,259,138).

The lowest earning council over five years was Ashford Borough Council with £795,386.

In its response to the FOI request Medway Council said: “All income generated by Parking Services helps to maintain the budgets of Highways and Public Transport related services.”

~Click here to see the full table of Kent's parking fine figures>>>

Medway also notches up the highest figure earned in any single year - at £1,190,073.64 in 2006.

All other councils measured their finances received according to the financial year. Of these the highest was Tunbridge Wells Borough Council in 2007/2008 at £1,053,580. The lowest amount received in a single year also went to Ashford Borough Council in 2003/2004 at £120,730.

Dartford Borough Council was the most consistent earner over five years, with only a £38,303 difference in its highest yearly income and its lowest. The council with the biggest fluctuation in parking fines income over five years was Gravesham Borough Council, at £205,232.

Bureaucrats there saw their income shoot up by £196,972 from 2003/2004 to 2004/2005.

In response to the KM Group’s FOI request Gravesham Borough Council said: “Income from Penalty Charge Notices is allocated between enforcement in Car Parks (approximately 24 per cent to 26 per cent) and "On-Street" enforcement (approximately 74 per cent to 76 per cent).

“The On-Street enforcement account is "ring-fenced", in that any excess of income over expenditure must be used solely in connection with this specific activity.”