Special fee applies in all EDDC’s 41 pay and display car parks until March 31

East Devon District Council has launched its five-month winter parking special offer.

From now until March 31 people can park all day for £2, regardless of what time they arrive.

It is a departure from the council’s usual policy of not starting the parking offer until 10am to avoid prime parks being blocked by commuters.

But this year officials wanted to be as generous as possible and say they are confident that the simple offer will work well.

The special offer tickets will be valid until midnight in all 41 EDDC pay and display car parks in Exmouth, Seaton, Sidmouth, Budleigh Salterton, Beer, Axminster, Honiton, Ottery St Mary, Lympstone and Colyton. But it does exclude Parkmobile payments and Permit Holders.

Customers should not be concerned if they notice that their ticket may not have an expiry time of midnight printed on it. Parking officers will be checking that the £2 has been paid, which will make the ticket valid for the rest of that day.

Tony McCollum, chairman of Honiton Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: “The offer has been a tremendous success over the past two years across East Devon. I know that traders in my local town of Honiton really benefited from the reduced parking price, which enabled shoppers to spend longer in shops and cafes.

“The five month reduced tariff will be a real bonus for both locals and visitors and will encourage more people to come out and spend their money. We are immensely grateful to the council for supporting East Devon businesses with this very generous car parking concession.”

Councillor Tom Wright, EDDC’s portfolio holder for the environment, said: “We want to support businesses in all of our town and village high streets as much as we can through the quieter winter months.

“All the feedback from last year’s parking offer showed it was a great success. And the really good news is that you can also use the same ticket in any other East Devon pay and display car parks on that day so why not take a tour around to discover something different on offer.”