Car park charges and tickets

For individual car park charges, see car parks in Cheshire East list.

Always check car park details when you park - be aware that some car parks in Cheshire East are run by private companies and have different charging rules.

Ways to pay for parking

You can pay using any of the following:

• cash
• card with PIN
• contactless
• Park with PayByPhone. 

See our video tutorial showing how to use our pay and display machines using contactless and chip and pin.

Bank holidays and Sundays

Normal charges apply on all bank holidays except Christmas day, when parking is free. 

Most car parks are free on Sundays, but car parks in country parks charge 7 days a week.

Where car park information boards say 'hours of operation/controlled hours Monday-Sunday,' this means that we can enforce regulations on these days, not that charges apply on all 7 days. 

Always check the tariff information by the ticket machine - we cannot give refunds if you pay on a Sunday or when you did not need to.

Free after 3pm

We give free parking in some car parks after 3pm - see car parks free after 3pm.

Annual free days

We may allow town and parish councils to choose 4 days a year for car parks in their area to be free. These days are usually near to Christmas.

Why we ask for vehicle registration numbers in ticket machines

We ask for vehicle registration numbers to stop people passing unused tickets to other drivers. If you put only part of your number in, you could get a penalty charge notice (ticket). 

We only use the numbers to issue tickets. It is unlawful for us to use the numbers to trace personal details.

Why you cannot use someone else's car park ticket

You cannot give a car park ticket with unused time to another driver or use a ticket that someone else has given you. This is because passing tickets to other drivers reduces the income we get from the car park and counts as fraud. 

Why we charge for car parks

Car park charges are an important way for councils to raise money for services. The surplus from the charges (the money left after we have covered the costs of running the car parks) goes towards spending on roads and transport. For more information see parking finances.

Advertising on the back of car park tickets

You can advertise on the back of our car park tickets.

Contact us

Page last reviewed: 22 April 2024