UK seaside locals furious over 'last straw' new parking charge after 'yobbos' run riot

Locals in some of the UK’s top seaside towns  have been left furious at the prospect of new car parking charges.

Dorset Council’s proposals would see vehicles charged a flat rate of £2.50 to park in the authority’s car parks between 6pm and 10pm from as early as April as it struggles to balance its budget.

Some areas, mainly the coastal resorts, do have 24-hour fees – but day and evening charging is now being suggested for all council-owned car parks.

This would include five top tourist seaside towns - Bournemouth, Weymouth, Poole, Wareham and Swanage - meaning it could have a severe impact on tourism in the area.

Critics of the proposals say the plan could damage the night-time economy, not to mention placing an extra financial burden on residents who rely on these car parks overnight.

One furious Dorest local told Express.co.uk: “It's to try and stop the yobbos from rampaging by giving them parking tickets, which they'll never pay, of course.

“But all it's doing is upsetting the nice people who would like a quiet evening walk with their dogs.”

Shaftesbury councillor Derek Beer told BBC News that the suggested £17.50 weekly charge for evening parking was "a bit steep", adding that "the difference it will make to people who live in the towns is significant.”

Cllr Ray Bryan - who was previously responsible for parking under the former administration - said he struggled when trying to introduce an evening charge when the Conservatives were in power because of worries about the effect on night time trade in the market towns. Eventually he backed down on the suggestion.

Proposals in the 2025-26 budget suggest a £2.50 flat rate for parking between 6pm and 10pm in all the council’s tier 1 and tier 2 car parks, with other charges rising by around 2.5%.

These two measures are estimated to bring in an extra £460,000 in revenue.

Dorset Council said all income generated by council-run car parks is used to pay for maintenance and improvement works on the sites and helps towards the costs of the county's road network.

The budget also sets out plans to keep charges at three resort car parks at the same level as they were during an experimental period over this winter - which reduced maximum payable rates from £15 to £10 per day.

“When the Councils amalgamated they brought all of the council car parks in to line with the same charges, so Blandford and Wimborne were cheap and now they are expensive as they are the same as Bournemouth prices,” added the Dorest local.

“Then the Council brought in Sunday charges for everyone.

“Now the evening charges are the last straw. I guess it's to make revenue from holidaymakers (they have evening charges already in Devon) as well as to discourage groups of youths in their cars from parking up and behaving badly.

“But as usual it all targets locals!”

She also highlighted that Wareham Quay’s car park - a popular tourist spot boasting a picturesque riverside location that runs a weekly Saturday market - is also council-run and will be impacted by these changes.

“People are going to go mad…” she warned.

All of the proposals have yet to be agreed by the council, with a final decision expected in February.

Express.co.uk has contacted Dorset Council for comment.