Parking attendants are being allowed to travel free on buses to get around their patch.

An agreement has been reached between Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company and National Car Parks, which provides the enforcement staff and administers the parking scheme on behalf of Brighton and Hove City Council.

It allows all attendants to board for free at any time while on duty.

Passengers have been surprised to see the attendants just get on the buses.

Peter Mepham, of Boundary Road, Hove, said he was shocked to see two attendants in uni-

form get on a bus in the city centre at the weekend and just nod to the driver.

He said: "No fare was paid and no passes were shown despite a notice saying that if a valid ticket is not held by a passenger then an excess fare will be charged."

Steve Percy, who founded the People's Parking Protest pressure group, was also surprised to learn of the agreement.

He said: "Someone recently mentioned they had seen an attendant get on a bus without paying but I thought this was because he knew the driver and the driver was doing him a favour.

"I had no idea it had been agreed that all attendants could hop on a bus for free.

"Until now this has not been made public.

"It is just another way of helping the council get more money from fines by making it easier for the wardens to issue tickets."

A council spokeswoman said: "The bus company allows attendants free travel in recognition of keeping the city's main routes clear, resulting in a more efficient bus service."