Anyone who has ever had their vehicle clamped will know that parking illegally is a costly mistake to make.  Figures compiled and released today by RTÉ show that €45.57 million was collected in the five main cities of Ireland through parking fines, fees and charges in 2014. A total of 56,601 vehicles were clamped in Dublin city last year and the final sum of de-clamping those vehicles tallied up to €4.24 million. Dublin City Council collected €29.3 million in parking charges, spending over €10 million on parking management services. €88 million was collected in the country overall. Blackspots in the capital city were revealed with Merrion Square West claiming the top spot. 733 vehicles were clamped in the area in total, followed by Mespil Road (720), Ormond Quay Upper (656) and Pearse Street (652). Dublin’s Top 10 clamping blackspots: Merrion Square West – 733 vehicles clamped Mespil Road – 720 Ormond Quay Upper – 656 Pearse Street – 652 Waterloo Road – 620 Jervis Street – 617 Wolfe Tone Street - 615 North Lotts – 592 Burlington Road – 581 Merrion Square South – 548 Hat-tip to our lovely brothers (who never illegally park) over at JOE.ie for this one.