Cut-price season tickets could be introduced to solve Mid Sussex car Parking chaos.

A shower of protests from businesses has forced Mid Sussex District Council to backtrack after putting parking fees up last April.

The number of people using long-stay car parks has plummeted since the increases, leading to a £150,000 drop in the council's income.

Councillors agreed yesterday to consider allowing drivers discount season tickets to park all day in certain town centre car parks.

Parking charges rose by 167 per cent in some car parks, with annual season tickets increasing from £337 to £750. But the new season tickets would be available monthly, quarterly and half-yearly,with monthly tickets priced at less than £40.

Alternatively, the council will allow a flat £2 rate for parking all day. At the moment it costs £4 to park for more than four hours.

Business leaders had warned the price rises could cost the borough £10 million a year by driving away potential employees and customers.

More than 3,000 signed a petition organised by traders' umbrella group Sussex Enterprise to get the price rise reversed.

Stephen Rostron, area director for Sussex Enterprise, said: "Car parks across Mid Sussex are still empty because business people cannot pay the vastly inflated charges for long-stay parking."

He welcomed the news that councillors would reconsider the charges at a cabinet meeting on September 30.

He said: "The council has at least recognised the problems and dilemmas the business community is facing because of these huge increases."

But he was concerned that paying for season tickets may be beyond the means of many workers.

Between April and July the number of four-hour-plus tickets sold fell by 32,403 compared to the same period last year. In the one-to-two-hour band, there was a drop of 69,602 tickets.

Total number of tickets sold for the period dropped from 606,401 to 605,669.