A CAR parking bonanza has boosted Worcester City Council's coffers - with income surging by more than £50,000 year-on-year.

Your Worcester News can reveal how data for the first three months of this financial year, between April and June, shows an extra £53,000 was raked in from car parking fees.

Bosses at the cash-strapped authority now say they expect the entire year to result in an overall surplus of £200,000.

The car parking income is worth around £2.7 million to the city council, which has chosen to keep prices pegged down rather than vote through any increases this year.

In July last year the Conservative leadership decided to slash rates as low as 40p for 30 minutes at selected sites and £1 after 7pm, while the Cornmarket remains just £3.60 all day.

A breakdown of the data reveals how the Copenhagen Street car park has outperformed expectations by £12,000, Newport Street's spaces raked in £8,000 more than budgeted for and the Cattlemarket boosted the coffers by an extra £11,000.

The extra income comes on the back of good weather, before the soggy summer kicked in, and also came during a period where city centre traders were reporting good footfall.

Finance chiefs at the authority say they are hopeful the surge in activity will prove sustainable.

Mark Baldwin, finance services, manager, said: "Car parking income is up both on the budget we set and compared year-on-year.

"We are predicting an overall surplus of £200,000 (extra fees over the set budget) for the year but time will tell, if the winter proves to be severe then that will dent it."

The best month of the late spring period was May, when shoppers, workers and tourists poured £255,000 into the council's coffers by using its car parks.

The price reductions last year means Worcester's rates are now among the lowest of any comparable city and also below rival destinations like Cheltenham, Gloucester, Birmingham and Wolverhampton.

After a revolt from holiday firms the council also slashed the old £10 price for coaches to use Croft Road car park back to £5 last year.