Motorists are up in arms about a hike in car park charges considered so “unreasonable” many believed it was an April Fool’s prank.

Users of School Lane in Herne were previously able to park for a whole day for just £2.20, with the site enjoyed mainly by residents and visitors to the local pub, church and community centre.

But on April 1 new tariffs were introduced, seeing the daily charge rocket to £15 – and the car park left largely deserted since.

A new £1.90 hourly rate has also been brought in - just 30p less than it had previously cost to park for the entire day.

The charges have been branded “absolute madness” by locals, who say the move is already impacting local businesses and amenities.

Among them is retired builder Scott Davis, whose daughter recently took over the nearby Smugglers Inn pub, which has no parking.

“How can they justify a price increase like that?” the 67-year-old said.

“Nobody knew anything about it until we saw the meter, and then everyone thought it must be an April Fool.

“The car park is usually full with all sorts of users, from mums on the school run and parents taking kids to football to people attending functions at the community centre and those going to church and coffee mornings.

“There are also those who visit the pub for a drink or lunch, and sometimes leave their cars overnight.

“But now the car park is almost empty, with the cost forcing people to park in the narrow streets, which is upsetting residents.

“I could understand it if we were in the middle of Canterbury or Herne Bay, but this is a sleepy little hollow.

“It’s ridiculous, and everyone’s got the hump about it.”

Previously, users of the car park were charged 60p for 30mins, £1.20 for two hours or £2.20 for 24 hours.

Now the fees are £1.90 an hour or £15 a day - charged between 9am and 6pm.

Smugglers Inn landlady Sadie Davis, who has made a success of the pub since taking it on in January, says she is already feeling the effect of the fee increases.

“Customers come into the pub for lunch and use the car park because there’s nowhere else,” she said.

“But even a couple of hours is now costing them £3.80, which is clearly putting people off.”

Herne and Broomfield Parish Council, which is based at the Herne Community Centre behind the car park, strongly objected to the increase in fees when they were first proposed by the city council.

“The car park is vital for many residents, especially given that there is no on-street parking in the centre of the village and very little off-street parking,” said clerk Michele Nicholson.

“It is a village amenity, used mainly by local residents rather than visitors to the area.

“Parents park there during school drop off and pick up times, which alleviates some of the parking issues in neighbouring streets.

“It is also used by people attending the church, dentist and other local businesses.

“Many of these people use the car park on a regular basis and for a relatively short period of time. Increasing the minimum parking fee to £1.90 is proving very costly for them, especially given the current economic climate.

“The increase is having a detrimental effect on the businesses in the area and the residents of the parish.”

Also peeved by the increase is church warden for St Martin’s in Herne, Priscilla Cox, who says church-goers are now fretting about the fees and being landed with a ticket.

“There are some very large gatherings for things like weddings and funerals, and the car park is vital,” she said.

“But it is even affecting things like our coffee mornings, with parishioners saying they can’t stay too long because it’s too expensive to park. It’s completely unreasonable and should be reconsidered.”

The new charges are among a raft of controversial tariffs brought in by the city council on April 1 as part of its latest budget.

The increases, which have in part funded the reopening of the Sturry Road Park and Ride, include new hourly rates across Herne Bay.

Parking in Neptune car park on the seafront has risen from as little as £1.50 an hour to £2.70, with the same fees introduced in Reculver.

Town centre car park rates have also been hiked to £1.90 hour, with free evening parking controversially scrapped in William Street.

On the concerns in Herne, city council spokesman Rob Davies said: "We accept that the change in approach to car park banding has resulted in an increase in prices at School Lane.

"But we have continued to allow free parking for the morning school run and in the evening for events at the Herne Centre.

"And residents are able to apply for an off-street residents' permit which offers good value for all year-round parking.

"As with all parking charges, the situation at School Lane will be reviewed next year, when we will consider what the impact of the change has been.”