How a moving film about a Palestinian boy become a target for Netanyahu’s government

Israeli film director Shai Carmeli-Pollak has a striking image pinned to the wall of his office in Kfar Sava. The picture, designed by his late friend and artist Dudu Geva, depicts a cartoon duck being pierced open with a knife.

“It is like what’s happening now. An apocalypse,” he tells The Independent. “He has many knives stuck in his body but is still optimistic. That’s how I feel.”

He has reason to feel both joy and fear. Last week, his film The Sea swept up five trophies at Israel’s national film awards, The Ophirs, including the top prize for Best Picture.

It follows the story of a 12-year-old Palestinian boy Khaled, played by Muhammad Gazawi, who dreams of seeing the Mediterranean for the first time in his life. However, he is turned away at a military checkpoint while on a school trip, due to what authorities say is an invalid permit.

The film places Palestinian lives at its core, which has caused anger in Israel. Within hours of the award being given out, Israel’s culture minister Miki Zohar threatened to cut funding for the ceremony, blasting the win as a “slap in the face of Israeli citizens” and calling the event “embarrassing and detached”.

But Carmeli-Pollak says it is the “terrible reality of the government that this person belongs to, which is now creating a genocide and we can’t deny it. We can’t blame films.”

Last month, a UN report concluded that Israel is committing genocide. Israel says the charge is “false” and “distorted” but rights groups, including Amnesty International, have backed the claims.

The Sea is not the only recent film to critique Israel that has been met with backlash . Earlier this year, No Other Land , a story following Palestinian activist Basel Adra’s resistance to forced displacement from his home in Massafer Yatta, won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature Film.

The reaction in Israel was similar: Zohar called it “a sad moment for the world of cinema” and “sabotage against the State of Israel”.

A Palestinian activist and father-of-three featured in the film, Awdah Hathaleen, was killed by an Israeli settler weeks after the film’s success. Adra has also reported recent raids on his home in the West Bank.

Reflecting on his work, Carmeli-Pollak says: “Making a film like this isn’t simple to do, even before the war.

“There’s always a spirit here that there is too much support for dissident films, which are not for the Israeli public but to go to audiences outside Israel and show how terrible we are. It’s always like this, but now it’s even stronger.”

Reacting to Zohar’s comments about his film, Carmeli-Pollak says it’s become “tradition” for the culture minister to speak out against projects that he disapproves of. “I would tell him to open his mind and watch the film before he speaks,” he says.

He credits the Israel Film Fund for its support in backing the film but worries it may be “impossible” to operate in an environment with such constraints on artists.

“I’m really happy I had the chance to do this and to give a voice to people whose voice is not heard very much in our society.”

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel is investigating whether the ministry is able to carry out Zohar’s threat to cut funding, according to The Jerusalem Post.

Despite the backlash, Carmeli-Pollak says the response to The Sea has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Anyone without a political perspective who watches this film – even Israelis – can see it’s a story about someone being discriminated against just because of the place where they were born. It’s more complicated than his [Zohar’s] reaction.”

He adds that Israelis are “not like these people with horns, they’re also ordinary people who live in this arrangement”. He believes art can help foster the connection between Israelis and Palestinians.

During the film, Khaled travels to the coast to see the waters of the Mediterranean for himself, but does not know the way or how to speak Hebrew. Khaled’s father, Ribni (Khalifa Natour), is an undocumented labourer and embarks on a high-risk search for his missing son after abandoning his job.

“I was worried people wouldn’t want to come and watch the film because it’s about a Palestinian child. But there is no other way to do this. And people have reacted emotionally, it touches my heart. They shed a tear because they see that this is a child, who uses his will to go to the sea.”

Carmeli-Pollak, who was born in Haifa, committed to raising awareness about the plight of Palestinians after first visiting the West Bank, aged 32.

“Life for Palestinians under occupation is terrible. I feel responsible because I live under this regime that discriminates between people just because of their ethnic origin,” he says.

“Looking at the history of the Jewish people, it’s something we suffered a lot in the past and it’s unacceptable and it needs to be changed now, not, tomorrow and not in the future.”

He adds: “This is not just a Palestinian story, it’s the story of Israeli society.”

Accepting his award, Gazawi, 13, said: “I wish for all the children of the world, everywhere, to have the same opportunity – to live and dream without wars.” He was discovered when the director opted to audition Palestinian children from a Thai boxing club filled with “tough” young people. Gazawi had no previous acting experience and spoke no Hebrew when he was recruited.

“In the beginning I didn’t notice him,” Carmeli-Pollak says. “I filmed him and came back home and watched the footage and thought: ‘Wow. This kid is very, very, talented.’”

However, the director says that many Israelis don’t understand the extent of suffering in Gaza and the West Bank as “there is a really big problem with Israeli media”.

The film’s Palestinian producer, Baher Agbariya, said in a statement read at the Ophirs: “This film was born from love for humanity and cinema, and its message is one – the right of every child to live and dream in peace, without siege, without fear, and without war.”

Natour, who played Khaled’s father, did not attend the awards, citing “the army’s entry into Gaza and the genocide that frightens me greatly”.

The controversy surrounding the film comes after Hollywood actors announced a cultural boycott of Israeli film institutions.

The pledge, circulated by an organisation called Film Workers for Palestine, has been supported by actors including Javier Bardem, Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Riz Ahmed and over 4,000 more industry professionals. Global entertainment giant Paramount criticised the move, saying it did not agree with “silencing individuals”.

But Carmeli-Pollak, who attends both pro-Palestine protests and protests campaigning for the release of hostages, says that working with Palestinians to make the film gave him a glimpse into life in coexistence. He has not been able to sleep, enjoy films, or live a normal life since the intensity of the conflict since the horror of the 7 October attacks.

“The filming itself was a very special experience,” he says. “ We were a joint crew — Israelis and Palestinians working together, on a modest budget, with the shared intention of doing the best work we could.

“Hebrew and Arabic blended naturally on set, and in a way we ourselves made the same journey that the film portrays — moving between Palestinian villages and Tel Aviv. It was a truly unique and moving experience.”

Robbie Williams cancels his final show of tour due to ‘public safety’

Pop star Robbie Williams has been forced to cancel the final show of his Britpop tour “in the interests of public safety”.

The former Take That member turned solo artist was due to perform at Atakoy Marina in Istanbul, Turkey, on Tuesday 7 October, but posted on Instagram on Saturday to tell fans he was “extremely sorry” to have to cancel the concert.

He said: “City authorities have cancelled the show, in the interests of public safety. The last thing I would ever want to do is to jeopardise the safety of my fans – their safety and security come first.

“We were very excited to be playing Istanbul for the first time, and purposely chose the city as the final show of the Britpop tour.”

He continued: “To end this epic run of dates in front of my Turkish fans was my dream, given the close connections my family have with this wonderful country.

“To everyone in Istanbul who wanted to join the 1.2 million people who have shared this phenomenal tour this year with us, I am deeply sorry. We were so looking forward to this show, but the decision to cancel it was beyond our control.”

The Sun reports that the gig was cancelled over fears of threats in Turkey due to his past support for Israel, where he has played gigs in the past.

Williams, 51, is married to Ayda Field Williams, a Turkish-born woman with a Jewish mother.

He will perform his smallest ticketed gig at Camden’s Dingwalls venue in London on Thursday, running through his upcoming album Britpop, which is yet to be released, in full, with his first solo LP, Life Thru A Lens.

He began the tour in May, performing in cities including Edinburgh, London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Helsinki and Athens.

Reviewing his Edinburgh show for The Independent, critic Mark Beaumont complained that “his bawdy stand-up segments, extended crowd work, regular Proclaimers karaoke and relentless oversharing drag proceedings to several grinding halts”.

“An attempt to sing ‘She’s The One’ to a woman in the front row takes almost 15 minutes to get going and, as the final stretch distends, he wangs on for so long about his children saving his sanity that he’s clearly the only doting parent in the stadium who isn’t measuring out their evening in babysitter hours,” he wrote.

However, he praised the “moments of entertainment” that materialised, including his rendition of “Come Undone” and an encore of his hit songs “Feel” and “Angels”.

After leaving Take That in 1995, Williams released his chart-topping debut album in 1997, and has achieved seven UK No 1 singles and 15 UK No 1 albums.

The albums include I’ve Been Expecting You (1998), Sing When You’re Winning (2000), Escapology (2002), Intensive Care (2005) and Rudebox (2006).

In a recent interview, he opened up about how he struggled to acknowledge the adulation of his fans during the stadium shows.

“You would think that a stadium full of people professing their love to you would work, but whatever it is, inside me, cannot hear it,” he explained during an appearance on the I’m ADHD! No You’re Not podcast.

“This tour in particular, as a 51-year-old, I’ve approached it differently because I seem to be in the space to approach things differently,” he continued.

“I have a very complicated relationship with touring and performing live. People say: ‘Oh, you going on tour? You must be really, really excited.’ Not really. I’m terrified.

“I mask, like I’m an Olympian at masking.

“I will look full of bravado and look pompous and look smug and do these grand gestures, which have worked for me because they put my face on the poster and people still buy tickets but actually what’s happening is I feel like the opposite of that all the time, most of the time.”

He said this feeling was “getting better” and that he had found he was looking forward to playing shows more than he had in his thirties and early forties.

‘If this was Heston, we’d hail it as genius’: Inside Greggs’ first pub

Ever had a hankering for a cold pint of beer that tastes just like a glazed jam doughnut? No, me neither.

But in The Golden Flake, the pub just opened by the seemingly unstoppable bakery chain, Greggs, anything is possible.

The quirky pop-up in Fenwick’s department store in Newcastle is the sort of place that might have been conceived by Willy Wonka – if he’d bought a little boozer on his retirement from the confectionery trade.

Certainly one of its signature beers, the Pink Jammie Pale Ale, brewed in honour of Greggs’ famous doughnuts of the same name, was just too weird for some customers – though to be fair, the more you drank the less you noticed the cloying sweetness.

There’s a more basic brew on the pumps alongside the Jammie – the Gosforth 1939 Stottie Lager, this one with a strong hint of another fabled Geordie delicacy, the stottie cake (a flat bread bun to those who have never had the pleasure).

Most customers, however, have come for the food, a gentrified version of the simple fare available in Greggs’ 2,600 stores across the UK.

I ordered a steak bake mixed grill (£12.50) which consisted of Greggs’ popular pasty, a fried egg draped over the top, a side order of chips and a grilled tomato. The arrival of a gravy boat was confusing – had it been brought by mistake to the wrong table?

Reassured by the smiling server, I found myself wondering when the last time had been that I poured gravy over a fried egg. Conclusion: Never, but don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. If this had come from Heston Blumenthal’s test kitchen we’d probably be hailing it as genius.

The next dish to arrive was the sausage roll and mash. This was not the “sickly sausage roll” that Gazza sang of in his post-World Cup rendition of Fog on the Tyne – no, this was a posh sausage roll. You knew it was posh because it was cut in two on the diagonal and propped up vertically against the mash, a scattering of dried sage leaves across the gravy giving a final flourish.

Those leaves were doing some heavy lifting because this dish cost £9, in comparison to the £1.50 you’d have paid for the same sausage roll in a paper bag from the non-fancy Greggs 20 yards away.

But was anyone carping about the price? Emphatically no – the tables started filling up as soon as the Golden Flake opened its doors at 11am on a sunny midweek morning.

Ryan and Lesley Coutts were having a date day, Ryan enjoying a Stottie Lager and Lesley an Orchard Pig cider. Had either tried the Pink Jammie? Ryan gives an involuntary shudder and confirms the bar staff were happy to give out samples to the briefly curious.

The young parents’ choice of venue was a nod to Ryan’s gran Mary Youern, aged 84, who was an employee at one of Greggs’ first stores, in Washington, Tyne and Wear.

Ryan, 32, said: “Greggs is such an institution in the North East and my Nana is proud of her association with it.

“She was offered shares many years ago but decided on a £1,000 bonus which took her and grandad off on a fantastic holiday to Italy.

“Given what’s happened since, the shares might have been a better option, but they were happy.

“They also get 50 per cent off Greggs food for life so you can’t complain about that either.”

Lesley, 31, said: “The Golden Flake is really nice, the decor reminds me a bit of Beamish Museum, it’s very quirky.”

With a nod to a collection of Toby jugs grinning down from a high shelf, she adds quietly: “And a bit weird.”

Pat Grainger, on a day out from the Grangewood Care Home in Shiney Row, near Sunderland, enjoyed her meal. She said: “We had a sharing platter between four of us and it was lovely, especially the sausage rolls, you can’t beat a Greggs and they’ve done this place up lovely.”

Malcolm Harrison, 72, and his wife were celebrating the 40th birthday of their youngest daughter, Stacey.

Malcolm said: “We’re having a family party tonight but this seemed a nice place to come for a bite during the day, we’ve just had sausage rolls and fish goujons and a drink.

”People in the North East are very proud of Greggs, it hasn’t just become a national concern, it’s now an international brand. We’re very proud of our sausage rolls in this part of the world.”

Ian Hall, 65, and wife Jean, 69, just had starters. Mr Hall said: ”We always come into town on a Tuesday and we’ve heard a lot about this place so we wanted to try it out. I’ve had the chicken goujons with chilli honey, it was very nice.

“Greggs just seems to be getting bigger and bigger and I really like the way they’ve done out their own pub.”

The Golden Flake will remain open until February next year and will operate like any other Newcastle pub, even hosting quiz nights on a Tuesday evening.

On Sundays it serves what it terms a “traditional” Sunday carvery, though at the centre of all the trimmings – cauliflower cheese, roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings – will be a choice of steak bake, chicken bake or cheese and onion bake.

Fenwick’s store director, Kieran McBride, told The Independent: “It has been quite overwhelming in terms of response. It is our third collaborations with Greggs but this has been the biggest so far.

“Both Fenwick’s and Greggs are famous names in the North East and we’re delighted to be working together so well.”

Man City’s Haaland strikes early as Rodri subbed off with injury

Manchester City travel to west London to take on Brentford this afternoon looking to hang on to the coattails of the Premier League’s high-flyers.

City currently sit eighth, six points behind new league leaders Arsenal after beating Burnley 5-1 last weekend in a match that was harder work than the final scoreline suggests. But Liverpool’s last-gasp defeat to Chelsea indicated plenty of cracks in the defending champions’ armour and City will look to close the gap to their unconvincing rivals today.

Pep Guardiola’s men endured Champions League disappointment in midweek as Eric Dier’s controversial 90th-minute penalty earned Monaco a point despite the unstoppable Erling Haaland scoring twice to take his goal tally to a faintly ludicrous 17 in 10 games for club and country this season.

New Brentford boss Keith Andrews had seen his side struggle at the start of this season, languishing down near the relegation zone, but an impressive 3-1 triumph over the hapless Man United last weekend came as a boon and they’ll hope to spring an upset over the blue half of Manchester today.

Follow all the latest updates and action with our live blog here:

Piastri loses cool at Norris and McLaren as Russell wins Singapore GP

Oscar Piastri blasted Lando Norris’ driving and then accused McLaren of being “unfair” as the world championship rivals collided on the opening lap of a Singapore Grand Prix won by George Russell.

The title tension between team-mates Norris and Piastri has bubbled along all season without ever boiling over, but that all changed on the first lap when they banged wheels at the third corner.

Norris, who started two places behind Piastri in fifth, cleared his title rival with an aggressive move that was noted by the stewards but not investigated.

Much to Piastri’s fury, McLaren then elected against swapping their drivers with Norris crossing the line in third place, one position ahead of Piastri. McLaren clinched the constructors’ championship for the second year in a row on a bittersweet night for the British team.

Max Verstappen held off Norris in the closing stages to finish runner-up to keep his outside chances of a fifth-consecutive title alive.

Norris now trails Piastri by 22 points in the standings with Verstappen a further 63 points off the championship pace with 174 points still to play for across the concluding six rounds.

Kimi Antonelli finished fifth, one place ahead of Charles Leclerc, with Lewis Hamilton in eighth after a late brake problem resulted in a five-second penalty due to exceeding track limits.

McLaren have so far managed to keep a lid on the brewing rivalry between two men bidding to be crowned champion of the world for the first time.

Piastri left last month’s Italian Grand Prix annoyed that he had been asked to concede second place and three points to Norris following a slow pit-stop for the Briton.

Piastri reluctantly moved aside in Monza and was just able to mask his annoyance when quizzed on the controversial decision. Here, he was unable to do so.

The flashpoint arrived at the third corner. A fast-starting Norris swatted Antonelli aside to take fourth prior to the opening left turn, before drawing half-a-car’s length alongside Piastri at the ensuing right corner and then going deep into the next left.

It was certainly aggressive from Norris and he tagged the back of Verstappen’s Red Bull – contact which sent him into his team-mate’s McLaren.

Both Papaya men lived to fight another day, with Norris sustaining only minor damage to his front wing. Piastri was straight on the radio.

“That wasn’t very team like, but sure,” he said. “So we are cool with Lando just barging me out of the way?”

Piastri was informed by race engineer Tom Stallard that McLaren were looking into it. The stewards were also busy noting the collision but elected against any action.

Stallard was back on the intercom: “As a team we can see that Lando has to avoid Verstappen, so we won’t take any action during the race. We can review further afterwards.”

Piastri was not impressed, adding: “Mate, that is not fair. I’m sorry, that is not fair.”

Stallard replied: “Oscar we will have the opportunity to review together afterwards. Focus on this race, mate. We can still get a good result here.”

Piastri bit back: “Yeah, but if he (Norris) has to avoid another car by crashing into his team-mate, then that is a pretty **** job of avoiding.”

On to the sole pit stops and Piastri’s night was dealt another blow. A slow rear-left tyre left him stationary for 5.2 seconds and now 10 seconds behind Norris and out of the running.

With Russell in total control – and in a class of one as he cruised to his second win of an impressive year – attention turned to Norris and whether he could move ahead of Verstappen at a track where overtaking is virtually impossible.

Norris tried his luck with 10 laps to go but Verstappen, who earlier called his Red Bull “****” to drive, slammed the door closed. Norris spent the remaining laps occupying Verstappen’s Red Bull mirrors but made no lasting impression.

Russell crossed the line a commanding 5.4 seconds clear of Verstappen, who finished just six tenths ahead of Norris, with Piastri two seconds further back.

McLaren boss Zak Brown will now be tasked with managing the fallout between his two stars ahead of the United States Grand Prix in Austin on October 19.

Norris, asked about his lap one contact with Piastri, told Sky Sports: “It’s racing. I put it on the inside. Nothing more than good racing.”

He added: “It was a tough race. I gave it my all. I got close to Max. A few chances. But it is difficult to overtake.”

Brown said: “”They have driven brilliantly all season. Two awesome racing drivers. As you can see we are letting them race. Bit of a nail biter there.”

Eats, Beats and Storied Streets: A journey through Louisiana

Few places in America are as spellbinding as Louisiana. Streets are alive with music, every table groans with food that tells a story, and every river bend reveals landscapes as mysterious as they are beautiful. Whether you’re dancing to zydeco in Lafayette, devouring beignets in the French Quarter, or gliding through the Atchafalaya swamps in search of alligators, this is a destination which offers travellers an unforgettable blend of rhythm, flavour and culture.

Music that Moves You

A seemingly never-ending party, a stroll through the bouncing streets of New Orleans’ French Quarter is one of America’s most thrilling sensory experiences. Guitars crunch, symbols crash and horns howl on every street corner, from Bourbon Street to Frenchmen Street. This Cajun corner of the US has a deep heritage too, and the Preservation Hall – dating back to 1961 – is an essential stop. With its intimate time-worn walls and wooden chairs facing the small stage, it’s a shrine to New Orleans jazz and every note should be savoured.

But Louisiana’s music tradition goes far beyond the Big Easy. Beginning in 1981, the Baton Rouge Blues Festival is one of the country’s oldest blues festivals and the state capital is a haven of Cajun music. It’s also the home of the swamp blues, so to hear the best of these laid-back rhythms, spend a foot-tapping night at Phil Brady’s Bar & Grill or Henry Turner Jr’s Listening Room. And for a little backyard boogie from local Louisiana musicians, try and hit the wonderfully chilled out Bee Nice Concert Series.

One of the more niche regional sounds is zydeco, and these infectious beats driven by accordions and washboards are perfect for dancing the night away. Over in Lafayette, the lush outdoor Hideaway on Lee and the charming Blue Moon Saloon host high-energy zydeco and Cajun jams. For a deeper dive into this unique music of the swamp, drop by the Festivals Acadiens et Créoles for three glorious days of Cajun, Creole, and zydeco sounds.

Flavours to Savour

Louisiana has one of America’s most distinct food cultures, with Creole dishes like gumbo and jambalaya not found anywhere else. Needless to say, the fiery flavours found in these creations are sublime and it’s no surprise that 2025 is Louisiana’s Year of Food.

With its rich broth, often featuring a roux base and embellished by juicy shrimp and thick sausage, gumbo is arguably the quintessential Creole dish. If you’re in New Orleans, look no further than no–frills downtown spots like Coop’s Place or head out to neighbourhood joints like the upscale Gabrielle Restaurant who serve a smoky take on Cajun-style gumbo or the dense dishes plated up at Liuzza’s by the Track. And if you’re so enraptured by this unique stew, then learn how to make it at home at the New Orleans School of Cooking.

A Cajun rice dish that originated in southern Louisiana in the 18th Century, Jambalaya is also iconic down here and can include meats, vegetables, seafood and spices in its mouthwatering mix. The Jambalaya Shoppe is dotted all around southern Louisiana and is a good place to start, though make time to visit Gonzales – the ‘Jambalaya Capital of the World. It even has its own Jambalaya Festival every spring.

Remember to make time for sweet treats though, as Louisiana’s beignets are something special. Warm, deep-fried pastries dusted with powdered sugar, these gentle delights are the perfect cafe snack. Open since 1862, the Cafe du Monde is an iconic French Quarter spot to watch the world go by with a beignet and café au lait.

And if you’re here for Mardi Gras, make sure to sample the sweet colourful King Cake as the jaunty floats pass by.

Culture and the Great Outdoors

Louisiana’s diverse cultural heritage is as unique as its landscape. French, Spanish, African, Caribbean and native influences all converge into Cajun and Creole identities and that’s most famously reflected in the state’s sublime cuisine. But don’t miss the great outdoors, as Louisiana’s biodiversity is enchanting too.

Acadiana’s humid moss-cloaked swamps and bayous are one of America’s last wildernesses, and boat tours of these serene and ethereal landscapes are unforgettable, especially if you spot wildlife like American Alligators, beavers, herons, eagles and white tail deer. The Atchafalaya Basin, just east of Lafayette, is a particular haven and several airboat tours depart from here, including McGee’s Swamp Tours and Last Wilderness Swamp Tours.

Road trails through these bayous can be just as inspiring, and the Bayou Teche National Byway tells stories. Running for 183 miles from Arnaudville down to Morgan City, this serpentine route passes by ornate antebellum homes like Shadows-on-the-Teche, tranquil fields of sugar cane, breezy swamps and historic towns packed with friendly cafes, zydeco dancehalls and local museums.

Look out for the region’s lively 400+ festivals too, which often celebrate Louisiana’s local culture. The Festival International de Louisiane in Lafayette celebrates the links between Acadiana and the Francophone world, through music, art and food, while the Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival in Opelousas aims to preserve Louisiana’s most gleeful music genre. And there’s no better way of learning about the state’s people and heritage than at the various tours, concerts, talks and cultural events held in Vermillionville in Lafayette.

Driver fury as parking ticket debt firms record 63% profits

Companies that charge drivers fees for recovering parking ticket debts are operating with an average profit margin of more than 60 per cent, a Government document has disclosed.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) stated that this figure indicates a “market failure”, while the AA branded the margins “disproportionately high”.

Debt recovery agencies are employed by parking operators to pursue payment for unpaid tickets, often adding up to £70 in additional fees per ticket for drivers.

These charges were set to be banned when the then-Conservative government introduced a code of practice in February 2022, but this was withdrawn four months later after a legal challenge by parking companies.

A new consultation document setting out the current Labour Government’s proposed code stated the £70 cap is “likely to be higher than can be reasonably justified” but it is “seeking further evidence”.

It added that recovery agencies have “an average profit margin of approximately 63 per cent”.

This is “comparable to highly innovative companies” despite the businesses involved providing “standard services such as payment plan provision”, according to the document.

It continued: “We therefore do not consider them to be providing significantly innovative services, and as such the high profits may be indicative of these firms having too much control over the market, thereby indicating that there is a market failure.”

Parking operators can take drivers to court if they continue to resist paying for tickets.

The MHCLG said debt recovery agencies would break even with fees of approximately £26 per ticket, if the proportion of those paying was stable.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA, said: “The 63 per cent profit margin feels disproportionately high for the services provided.

“This only highlights the need to curb the sector and ensure balance for all.

“There remains an overzealous cohort among some private parking operators where they hand over cases to debt recovery firms for seemingly innocuous charges.”

He added that the ban on debt recovery fees in the original consultation was “the right position” and claimed the latest version “falls short of the mark”.

Steve Gooding, director of motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, said: “The profit margins revealed by the Government help explain why there are now more than 180 private parking firms buying vehicle keeper records from the DVLA so they can send demands to drivers – it’s a huge and profitable business.

“The private parking industry’s failure over time to be more open about its activities is part of the problem and its ongoing reluctance to open its books to official scrutiny shows why ministers must follow through with plans to bring transparency and independence to this sector.”

Recent analysis by the PA news agency and the RAC Foundation found 4.3 million tickets were issued by private companies to UK drivers between April and June.

That was a 24 per cent increase compared with the same period last year.

A BPA spokesman said it “strongly disputes the Government’s profit calculations” and called on it to “publish the methodology behind these figures”.

He continued: “The numbers presented are misleading and fail to reflect the reality of the debt resolution sector.”

He insisted the purpose of debt recovery fees is “not to generate profit but to act as a fair and effective deterrent against deliberate non-payment”.

An MHCLG spokesperson said: “This Government inherited a private parking market that lacks transparency and protection for motorists.

“We share their frustration, which is why our private parking code of practice will drive up standards in the industry and hold parking operators to account.

“We consulted on the current cap on debt recovery fees and will publish our response as soon as possible.”

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