Cheeky drivers have been buying tickets in towns where they are cheaper before driving down to park in seaside areas where the same ticket is more expensive.
A loophole had seen those parking for a week in landlocked towns in North Norfolk charged £24 to buy a ticket in council-run car parks, but parking in seaside holiday destinations such as Cromer was priced at £34 for the same period of time.
However, savvy visitors soon realised the same tickets were being issued by North Norfolk District Council regardless of where they had been bought meaning tickets could be used anywhere within the area.
Now the Liberal Democrat-run council has realised its mistake and is planning to raise parking costs in 10 car parks in Fakenham, North Walsham and Stalham where parking was cheaper to the higher charge of £34.
And it is not planning on stopping there with all of the area’s parking costs set to undergo a separate review with a chance that more could be increased at a later date.
The changes were confirmed in a report to the council’s cabinet as part of a review of fees and charges for 2024/25.
It read: “It has been acknowledged that the seven-day car parking tickets can be used in any of the district’s car parks once purchased.
“This, however, has led to some users purchasing a seven-day ticket at some of the cheaper tariff sites and then using these tickets at higher tariff sites.
“To resolve this, it is now proposed that all seven-day tickets are £34 across all sites as per the current tariff at most locations.”
The council is also planning to raise a number of fees for other things, with many rising by 8pc to match inflation.
New applications for betting shops in the area will face a steep rise from £2,600 to £2,800, while a bingo hall licence will go from £3,000 to £3,250 and a sexual entertainment venue licence will increasing from £3,342 to £3,609.
