Traders who need to work in controlled parking areas while they carry out essential services will be charged £3 a day if proposed charges are imposed.

Plumbers, locksmiths and other traders would have to pay the charge to allow them to park on yellow lines if they were called to jobs in restricted parking zones.

Some have already warned the fees could be added to customers' bills.

Others say they may might refuse to work in restricted areas at all.

The proposed fee, condemned as "profiteering" by one opposition councillor, is likely to be approved by Brighton and Hove City Council's environment committee on Tuesday.

Another option is for traders' permits to be introduced at an annual cost of £300.

Tradespeople slated the charges as ridiculous.

Mark Haines, owner of Brighton Locksmith Service in St James Street, said: "This is silly. We are an emergency service so we will not be at premises all day.

"We are going to pay £3 whether we are at jobs for one minute, one hour or the whole day.

"We have got four vehicles and it will cost us loads. The customers will end up paying."

A spokeswoman for a Hove-based plumbing firm also warned customers would foot the bill. She said: "It's ridiculous.

"As long as you are not causing obstructions there should be no problem with traders parking. Firms will have to increase their overheads to cover the charges.

"The other alternative is not doing jobs in the controlled parking areas anymore.

"We are based in Hove and we will just have to stay around here, which is a shame for other residents."

Council environment director Jenny Rowlands said the fee was in line with charges imposed by other councils which, like the city council, had taken over parking enforcement from the police.

She said: "The proposals aim to better meet the parking needs of businesses and healthcare workers by optimising the use of available designated parking spaces and thereby reducing parking on yellow lines."

But Liberal Democrat group leader Paul Elgood said: "This is simply wrong. The council is seeking to profiteer out of the same tradespeople who have been hit hardest by the parking schemes.

"It should be making the schemes work in everyone's interests and not slapping on more stealth taxes."

The changes are being suggested after an initial review of the council's control of parking enforcement.

A council spokesman said: "A number of representations have been received from traders asking for an improved and simpler system for which they were willing to pay."

Some vehicles will be exempt from the daily charge, including those operated by the blood donor service and those required for organised events.

Relaxations are also likely under the Professional Carer's Badge scheme which was introduced in the city last summer to allow medical staff to park for up to an hour in designated parking spaces and on yellow lines when attending emergencies.

South Downs Health NHS Trust, district nurses and some GPs have asked for a relaxation to include routine visits.

There is likely to be an administration fee introduced of £20 for each carer's badge, which the council says is also in line with charges made by other councils.