New figures released by the Department for Transport show that councils nationally are making record profits from meters, residential parking schemes and fines, with income across the UK now almost hitting £1 billion.

The picture is mirrored in Scarborough, where car parking has become Scarborough Council's third biggest earner after council tax and its Government grant. Its income from car parks topped the £3.3 million mark in the 2003 to 2004
financial year, when it earned £2.75 million in 1997 to 1998 – a rise of 23.6 per cent.

However, car park charges in some northern tourist towns have risen by even more, with prices in York soaring by 75 per cent from 1997 to 2003.

Bruce Bedford, Scarborough's traffic and transportation manager, said car park charges still represented "tremendous value for money". He said: "If town centre car parks were on private land, the owners would try to maximise their profits, but we do not do that, we try to maximise the value."