Motorists in Brighton and Hove pay out more for parking and fines than any other UK city.

Figures released from the Department of Communities and Local Government show drivers pumped £38 million into Brighton and Hove City Council coffers last year.

The sum was the largest outside central London and dwarves charges coughed up in Birmingham (£24m), Manchester (£20m) and Leeds (£19m).

The revelation comes after Brighton and Hove was crowned England's parking fine capital last month.

Only Edinburgh and some London Boroughs raised more in fines than the £5.74 million that city car owners were forced to shell out in 2008.

Paul Elgood, leader of the opposition Lib Dem group, said: “The parking contract in Brighton and Hove is a licence to print money.

“Its completely out of control and gives the city an extremely bad reputation to residents, businesses and visitors."

A city council spokesman said: “The council is not dependent on parking revenue, we are not using it to subsidise core services and we are not exploiting the local situation.

“As we said in October, the parking surplus, which totalled £7.4 million last year, is reinvested into transport initiatives.

“Councils cannot profit from parking as they can only spend a surplus on more public services.

“Last year the surplus paid for 43 subsidised bus routes many of which were for school routes or those serving outlying areas of the city.

“It also funded concessionary bus fares giving free off-peak travel for over 60 and disabled passengers and partially funded Local Transport Plan projects such as the redevelopment of New road, pavement repairs and 27 school cycle parks.”