Worthing parking fines: £24,000 in one week

If this rate continues, the annual fines haul will be well over 1million.

A total of 831 drivers were each fined 30 last week, following a seven-day "honeymoon" period for motorists after the new local authority parking scheme was launched in Worthing.

Offenders can have their fines doubled to 60 if they don't pay up within 14 days.

Parking attendants, contracted from NCP Services, initially gave illegally-parked drivers a warning instead of imposing fines right away.

But Worthing Borough Council's new on-street parking services manager, Mandy Ainsworth, said yesterday (Wednesday) she did not expect last week's level of offending to continue.

"People are going to realise that they are going to be caught, and that they have to behave properly when it comes to parking."

Yet another difference on Worthing's streets will take effect on Monday, when new solar-powered parking machines come into use.