Changes to car parking charges in Honiton have sown confusion among shoppers and businesses in the town.

The Midweek Herald received reports that long-stay parking charges had been increased from £3 to £10 for 24 hours. However, the temporary blip with the parking machines at Lace Walk car park has now been corrected.

A spokesman for East Devon District Council said: “Some car park charges changed on April 1 and it was while machines were being reprogrammed that the short-stay tariff was incorrectly loaded into the long-stay machine.

“This meant it would have cost £10 for 24 hours, but our CEOs would be aware that if someone had purchased a ticket for £3 that would allow them a 24-hour stay. The correct tariff has now been loaded back into the machine and £3 buys a 24-hour ticket.

“There have been no changes to the standard charging structure in Lace Walk short-stay, but we can confirm that we are offering the same deal as last summer – which costs only £1 from 3pm Saturday through to 8am Monday morning.”

The Lace Walk long-stay car park, which is next to the Thelma Hulbert Gallery, will change its name to the Hulbert Gallery car park after the name change was agreed by EDDC’s cabinet.

The cabinet also agreed that 12 out of the 39 spaces of this car park would be managed as a short-stay section. The changes will come into effect shortly.

The EDDC spokesman added: “There are also no changes to parking permits which currently allow permit holders up to three hours, one visit per day, in the short-stay, and as long as they require in the long-stay. These permit restrictions will also be applicable when the Hulbert Gallery car park is split into 12 short-stay spaces and 27 long-stay spaces in due course.”