Motorists using a busy seafront street have shelled out up to £350,000 in Parking fines.

Parking enforcement firm NCP revealed 5,803 tickets were dished out by attendants in Madeira Drive, Brighton, in 2005 at £60 a time.

The figure is the highest collected in fines from any single thoroughfare in the city.

Other hotspots where drivers frequently fell foul of the "enforcers" were Marine Parade and Regency Square, where 2,220 and 2120 tickets were issued respectively.

The penalties - reduced to £30 if paid within two weeks - would have raised between £65,000 and £130,000 for Brighton and Hove City Council in each street.

Tim Cowen, of NCP, said: "We can see by the number of penalty charge notices issued that there is much more illegal parking in some streets than others - and it should come as no surprise that these are the streets where congestion is the biggest issue.

"Conversely, there are plenty of streets in Brighton where a very small number of PCNs has been issued, and these tend to be the streets which are clear, where the traffic flows safely and where pedestrians and public transport users can use the road space more easily.

"We hope by publishing these figures we can persuade the selfish drivers who block up these streets with antisocial illegal parking to realise the problems they are causing and to park more responsibly in the future."

But Brian Southon, who has worked at Cafe Madeira for nine years, said the parking problem was hurting local businesses.

In October 2004 The Argus reported how the cost of a day ticket jumped by 291 per cent in a year from £2.30 to £9.

Mr Southon said: "If the price of parking goes up any more you can kiss goodbye to Brighton seafront."

John Lighton, owner of the Brighton Angler in Madeira Drive, said: "People come in for a few minutes to buy some bait or fishing tackle and before they know it they've got a ticket. Trade has been generally slow this year but tickets do have an effect on business."

Artist Julie-Anne Gilburt, who has a studio in Madeira Drive, said: "I usually just risk it - if I get fined £30 a week that's still cheaper than paying £63 every week."

A spokesman for the AA Motoring Trust said: "It is the duty of the local authority to look at why people are getting so many tickets and do what they can to help people avoid them."

Brighton and Hove City Council employs parking giant NCP to issue tickets.

A spokesman for the city council said: "The roads which have the most tickets issued are also those where there are large numbers of parking spaces in place.

"Patrols cover all the controlled parking zones and issue the most tickets where there is most illegal parking. People who park legally have nothing to worry about.

"During busy periods parking spaces are at a premium. Permit parking gives preferential treatment to residents so that they can park near to where they live. It is essential these are enforced to prevent non or unauthorised permit holders using these spaces.

"The efficient enforcement of short-term parking is also essential as it creates turnover of parking spaces and allows as many vehicles as possible to access the available spaces."

Craig Turton, deputy chairman of the council's environment committee, said: "The simple fact is that drivers are getting ticketed because they are parking illegally. If vehicles are found to be contravening the parking regulations, they will receive a ticket.

"Parking policy has gone hand-in-hand with providing alternative forms of transport for residents and visitors. Since 2001, when the council took over parking enforcement from the police, bus use has increased dramatically and walking and cycling have become real alternatives to driving."