THE cost of car parking season tickets in Maidstone is set to soar by up to 70 per cent in the next two years.

Under the increases, which will take place in two phases, the worst-hit drivers will have to pay £440 more per year for their spaces.

Maidstone Borough Council's acting cabinet member for transport and planning policy, Cllr Malcolm Robertson (Lib Dem), said that discounts of up to 58 per cent which were currently on offer were too high. "There's no reason why people should benefit quite to that extent and we just can't afford to lose the revenue in that way," he said.

"There are still going to be substantial discounts but nothing like what we've got at the moment."

The rise in prices of season tickets, which have been bought by 2,253 drivers in the last year, were approved by Cllr Robertson at a meeting this week. |The first phase will be brought in during this financial year.

The system of offering extra discounts of up to 20 per cent for bulk-buyers of annual tickets is to be scrapped and there will no longer be any financial incentive to purchase monthly tickets.

The worst hit drivers will be those using the three-month six-day season tickets - they will now be faced with paying £1,014 per year compared with £576 at the moment.

Those buying monthly season tickets will be around £430 worse off and holders of annual tickets will have to pay between £200 and £300 more. Increased revenue will be reinvested in the car parks.