Car parking charges are increasing to £1 per hour in an Axminster car park.

Coombe Lane charges will now be 50p per half an hour and £1 per hour, the standard tariff charged by all other car parks in east Devon.

The increase was approved by East Devon District Council’s cabinet in September 2018 following a public consultation in the April.

Cllr Geoff Pook, east Devon’s portfolio holder for asset management, said: “We are extremely proud to say that even in these challenging financial times, we have been able to hold our basic car parking tariff down at £1 per hour for the ninth consecutive year.

“However, historically we have a small number of car parks where, for various reasons, we have offered customers a significantly less expensive tariff, typically 20p for half an hour and anything from £1.50 to £4 for all day.

“We gave a warning as long ago as 2013 that we would review these tariffs and, with our current budgetary pressures combined with conspicuous over demand and under supply of parking availability, the council considered the situation and agreed back in September last year that the charges at Coombe Lane car park in Axminster should be increased to 50p per half hour - £1 per hour - this year.

“We believe that the new charges are still fair, reasonable and proportionate.

“Added to that, we are currently working with our software supplier and we will soon be in a better position to offer residents and businesses a new range of even better value annual parking permits costing from less than 30p per day.”