Car dealer John Burgess believes he has found the best spot in Brighton and Hove to avoid getting a Parking ticket.

The city's parking attendants have often been criticised for being too strict - but one mystery motorist may have benefited from a rare show of leniency.

A D-reg Vauxhall Nova has spent the past fortnight partially parked on a yellow line at the corner of Cheapside and Blackman Street, near Brighton station.

During that time it has not been given a ticket - although Mr Burgess is sure he has seen traffic wardens passing by.

Just metres away, another car parked illegally on Thursday was given a ticket the same day.

However, Mr Burgess, who owns B and H Cars in Cheapside, suspects it may have been a different story if the Nova was a newer and more valuable model.

He said: "I know how much cars are worth and this one would fetch about £2. It's a real old banger.

"No one has been to tow it away or put a ticket or notice on it but if it was almostnew, it would probably be covered in tickets.

"Parking wardens have walked past. Usually in this city a car would not last a morning or afternoon without a ticket but somehow this one has escaped."

More tickets per square mile were issued in Brighton and Hove than in any other town or city outside London between April 1, 2001 and March last year.

The figures were revealed in November by the National Parking Adjudication Service.

A total of 100,733 tickets were issued in the city in nine months, bringing in £3 million for the city council.

On some days 500 tickets were issued - about one every two minutes.

A council spokeswoman said the Nova was being treated as abandoned and highway chiefs were hoping to remove it soon.

She said: "It can take a while to go through all the right procedures before we can remove a car."