Brighton and Hove has become the country's Parking ticket capital, with more fines issued per square mile than anywhere outside London.

A total of 100,733 tickets were issued in the city in nine months, worth more than £3 million to the city council.

On some days 500 tickets were issued, about one every two minutes.

The latest figures from the National Parking Adjudication Service (NPAS), which cover the period from April 1 2001 to March this year, show more tickets per square mile were issued in Brighton and Hove than any other town or city outside London.

Only Manchester had a higher total at 125,747 but its wardens cover a bigger area and deal with an extra 100,000 residents.

Figures for other cities are for 12 months but Brighton and Hove's total is for only nine because it registered with the NPAS only when the city council took over parking responsibility from the police in July 2001.

An NPAS spokeswoman said: "It is clear from our figures more tickets are issued by Brighton and Hove than anywhere else signed up to us.

"Surprisingly, the number of appeals from Brighton is very low. Either motorists don't know about the NPAS or they are accepting the majority of tickets are being issued fairly."

Only 31 people have contested their tickets through the NPAS, with just eight so far winning their cases.

A council spokeswoman said: "Since the council took over parking enforcement it has worked hard to make the city a safer place and easier to move around by taking action against illegal parking.

"The appeal process is clearly explained on parking tickets. Feedback from the emergency services, bus companies and taxis has been very positive and we won an award for the best on-street parking operation in the British Parking Awards 2002.

"It was expected more tickets would be issued in the first months of the scheme. The number should go down as people get used to the highly regulated scheme."

The council had to sign up to the NPAS, which is the final appeal service for 60 councils, when it took over responsibility for parking and employed National Car Parks' 70 attendants to police the scheme.

The council pays NCP £2.1 million a year to run the service.

Shop owner Steve Percy, of the People's Parking Protest, set up to get fairer parking for the residents of Brighton and Hove, said: "I am flabbergasted so many tickets have been issued in such short period of time.

"Considering it only covers nine months of when Brighton and Hove was signed up, it shows that the unfortunate motorists of the city are being used to raise money for the council. I hope it goes towards fairer parking schemes."