Locals in a famous seaside town are furious over parking fines, pleading “stop before we scare off all the tourists”.

More than 1,000 tickets were handed out in Bournemouth last year. And the council is seeking approval to ramp up charges even more.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council in Dorset say that tougher sanctions will help reduce illegal parking in their towns.

But locals have said that the increase will drive away tourists who are a large part of the area’s economy.

Under the proposals, there will be two tiers of parking offences: Minor infractions will result in a fine of £50, rising to £70 for major rulebreaking. Penalties will be halved if paid within 14 days.

The penalties will be enforced with the help of ANPR cameras, with fines posted to drivers who move their vehicles before a physical ticket can be issued.

But one motorist from the area told GB News: "The only deterrent will be that of not coming to Bournemouth at all. With very little else there, the parking will be the only talking point."

Another added: "Have you been to Hampshire lately? You will see most of the towns and villages heaving with shoppers and tourists. Parking costs roughly half of that in Bournemouth."

Chris Farrant, the council's chief executive, said: "We have been campaigning with the Government for some time and we’ve reopened this with the new Government.  

“Car parking fines are at a level very similar to that we charge for a full day in the car parks. The level two car parking fine is £50 or £25 if paid within 14 days and the top level is £70/35.

“There is a national view looking at the level of fines for parking illegally. We are looking at London as an example to see whether that has a deterrent effect.

“We are getting more and more complaints about illegal car parking, one weekend we issued well over 1,000 parking tickets and that's not good for anybody as it means cars are parking illegally.”