A Surrey council is bidding to introduce plans which could see drivers fined up to £100 - for "excessive horn honking".

Tandridge District Council (TDC) filed an application for a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) last week after complaints about the actions of motorists.

The authority said it had received "repeated reports" of vehicles mounting and parking on pavements across the Caterham Valley area of Surrey.

TDC said the new rules would also cover "excessive horn honking" - although added that the specifics of this would be ironed out during a three-month consultation.

Nonetheless, if approved, the PSPO could mean locals are fined £100 - £60 if paid early - for honking their horns too much, or too loudly.

Speaking in the town of Caterham, pet shop worker Lindsey Wells, 40 branded the proposals as "unnecessary".

She said: “We do get a lot of honking because we are next to a roundabout. The honking fines are unnecessary - because honking is for safety.

“People honk to alert others to their presence. It is needed. It never bothers me; we don’t really notice it.”

However, local business owner Paula Nicholson said it was business loading and buses causing the majority of ‘excessive honking’ - and is in favour of the PSPO.

She said: “People park in the bus stop and then the bus drivers come along and honk honk honk. They have blocked the whole road up before."

Jasmine Alexander, 68, has lived in the area for 38 years and said the proposed fines are excessive.

She said: “I think giving fines for first time offences is a bit harsh. If someone only does it one time you should let them off.”

Some expressed concern that new parking restrictions has already affected local businesses

Charity shop worker Emma Lang, 49, said: “Since they added the parking bays I have noticed we are not getting as many donations because people find it hard to park outside.

“It was bad before, but it’s much worse now. The buses sit outside and take up a lot of space."

However, residents did flag an increased misuse of disabled parking bays, which will be also fined under the proposed order.

Residents said that it was individuals as well as businesses using disabled parking bays.

Ms Alexander added: “This morning a woman who can’t walk couldn’t park in a disabled bay because they were all taken, and nobody had blue badges”.

TDC said: “Following repeated reports of vehicles, including mopeds, e-scooters, cars and lorries, mounting and parking on pavements in Caterham Valley, the Council carried out a six-week consultation on a proposed Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO).

"The areas covered include parts of Croydon Road and Godstone Road, all of Station Avenue, and the Croydon Road service road serving the Waitrose and Lidl car parks. This behaviour has been reported as persistent and harmful, particularly for people using the pavements.

"The consultation closed on December 31, 2025 and the Community Services Committee on Tuesday, January 13 2026 will consider the evidence and next steps. The Council cannot pre-empt the committee’s decision. If the recommendation to proceed is approved, there will be a further three month period to define the detailed terms of the PSPO.

"This would include clarifying what is meant by issues such as excessive horn honking. Any such measures would be clearly defined, proportionate and subject to further consideration before being introduced.”

The proposal will be discussed by TDC, Surrey Police and Surrey County Council. It follows a six-week consultation, which ended in December to understand the scale of parking issues.