THE leader of a motorists' campaign group has warned tensions between drivers and Parking attendants are raging out of control.

Steve Percy, chairman of the People's Parking Protest, called for Brighton and Hove City Council to stem public hostility towards people handing out fines.

The Argus revealed on Thursday that there is now an average of seven attacks on attendants in Brighton and Hove every month - seven times more than this time last year.

Mr Percy condemned the violence but said he was not surprised because relations between attendants and motorists had deteriorated.

Parking is regulated by National Car Parks (NCP) on behalf of Brighton and Hove City Council.

Mr Percy said: "I am not surprised it happens. Obviously you can't condone it.

"People are upset by strict parking enforcement since the council took over.

"If you create situations where you have an offender, there is always going to be conflict.

"People are aggrieved to get a ticket."

Mr Percy, who used to run the Brighton-based company System Electronics and now lives in Southwick, believes that if the rules were relaxed there would be less aggression.

He said his group was campaigning for drivers to be able to defend their case in court without incurring a financial penalty.

Currently, if drivers appeal against a fine by letter within 14 days and they are turned down, they only have to pay a reduced fine of £30.

But if they take their complaints further and fail, they have to pay £60.

People's Parking Protest, which has a mailing list of about 300, also wants to see rules enforced less strictly at weekends and for parking attendants to observe vehicles parked illegally for more than a couple of minutes before issuing tickets.

Mr Percy said: "You don't get a chance anymore. You could get caught in a supermarket queue or in a doctors' surgery."

A council spokeswoman said: "Brighton and Hove City Council condemns any attack on parking attendants, and parking regulations and the way they are operated are not an excuse to display this kind of behaviour.

"The council aims to provide parking enforcement that is fair, so the limited parking space we have can be shared.

"If someone has a parking ticket that has run out then they are preventing someone else from parking.

"If someone is on a yellow line they may be stopping a delivery or access to a bus or emergency vehicle.

"If they are parked in a bay that is reserved for disabled people they are restricting the access of disabled people to the city's amenities. These are the things parking attendants look out for."

She said the outcome of appeals were determined in accordance with the 1991 Road Traffic Act.

The spokeswoman said Brighton and Hove was just as busy at weekends as on weekdays.

She said: "Parking regulations are constantly being reviewed. There is currently a two-minute observation time for people parking on yellow lines, as these vehicles are likely to be causing an obstruction or restricting the sightlines of other road users.

"For other illegal parking, tickets are issued instantly or there is a longer observation time, depending on the circumstances.

"However, anyone who is unhappy with a parking ticket can appeal."