Christmas shoppers have been warned to be “very wary” about using private car parks during the festive period.

Firms that operate the sites are gearing up for a “Christmas bonanza” as they are handing out almost 13 times more tickets than a decade ago, according to the RAC Foundation.

They get their information to pursue drivers from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) which sells it to them.

Analysis by the motoring research charity found that the DVLA sold 1.4 million vehicle-keeper records to private parking companies in the second quarter of the current financial year, compared with just under 112,000 during the same period in 2007/08.

The information is used to chase vehicle owners for alleged infringements in private car parks, sending penalty charges often worth up to £100.

ParkingEye Ltd obtained the largest amount of data in the most recent quarter at 467,000 records. The Chorley-based company operates car parks in the Huddersfield area including the Castlegate retail park off St John’s Road next to Huddersfield ring road.

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These latest figures suggest quarter three will be a “bumper period” for parking firms as it includes the run up to Christmas and the pre-New Year sales, the RAC Foundation warned.

It estimated that the total number of records sold by the DVLA could exceed six million in 2017/18, up from 4.7 million during the previous 12 months.

The DVLA charges private firms £2.50 per record, suggesting the agency could earn more than £15 million from the process during the current financial year.

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said: “We all like to think we will bag a bargain at this time of year, but our festive shopping could come at a very high price.

“Private parking firms are already issuing tickets at an unprecedented rate and if history is anything to go by they will be breaking yet more records in the weeks ahead.

“Drivers should be very wary of overstaying their welcome in private car parks by even a matter of moments, and they should not give these firms any other reason to come after them with demands for eye-watering sums which will spoil their Christmas.

“Private parking companies do not allow a grace period at the end of your parking time - even at Christmas.”

Mr Gooding welcomed efforts by a Conservative MP to crack down on the industry.

Sir Greg Knight’s private members’ Bill - which would lead to the introduction of a code of conduct for private car park operators - is expected to be debated in the Commons early next year.