Three London boroughs among UK's ten most expensives places for parking permits, study finds

Islington, Croydon and Brent are among the ten most expensive places in the UK for parking permits, a survey has found.

Residents in the London boroughs face some of the highest rates in the country, with permits fetching several times the national average.

The figures come in an investigation by car insurance firm Esure, which found more than half of local authorities have extended parking zones in their areas in the past two years.

The study revealed the average cost of an annual permit is £64, but some motorists pay more than 10 times that amount.

Birmingham City Council was found to have some costing £785 - the most expensive in the country.

This was followed by Manchester City Council (£750), City of Edinburgh Council (£600) and Islington (£545).

In Croydon permits can cost up to £305 and in Brent that figure is £302.

By contrast, motorists in the affluent borough of Kensington and Chelsea pay a maximum of £214 a year.

In Westminster, which covers large parts of central London, the most expensive residential parking permit is £141 and in Camden they fetch up to £282.

Jon Wilshire, chief underwriting officer at Esure, said: "Some motorists are paying hundreds of pounds simply to park their car near their home.

"And to make things worse even with a residential parking permit many drivers still find it difficult to find a parking space.

"Over the past two decades the number of vehicles on the road in Britain increased by 10 million but the space available for parking in residential areas has not increased."

But the Local Government Association, which represents council nationwide, insisted they were “on the side of motorists”.

Transport spokesman Peter Box said: "Councils are on the side of motorists but this survey highlights the difficulties they face in balancing the requirements of commuters and residents.

"Councils often introduce restrictions at residents' request and consult widely on them, but in some places there simply is not enough road space or parking space to accommodate demand."

Additional reporting by PA