A shopkeeper is conducting a survey of thousands of homes in a bid to discover what residents really think about parking.

Steve Percy has prepared the survey - which he plans to drop through more than 4,000 letterboxes - in an effort to establish the extent of parking problems in Brighton.

He is concentrating on Zone F, which includes the West Hill area around Brighton station and Seven Dials.

Mr Percy, who runs an electronics shop in Chatham Place, Brighton, says he has had enough of not being able to unload outside his shop or park outside his own home.

He said: "We want the city council to accept there are problems with the system."

Mr Percy has compiled lists of people from the electoral register in order to make his survey as comprehensive as possible and plans to hold a public meeting with representatives from Brighton and Hove City Council once the results are known.

His questionnaire asks people whether they are a resident permit holder; if they would use a car park if there was one in the area; and what they consider to be the minimum and maximum times for loading and unloading.

Mr Percy is also asking people to comment on the number of permits the council is issuing in relation to the number of spaces available.

He has already carried out a study of Zone F to find out the exact number of residents' bays, voucher bays, two and four-hour parking spaces and disabled spaces.

So far he has found the area with several thousand residents has 757 spaces, of which 293 are residents' bays and just five are reserved for disabled people.

Mr Percy said city councillor Paul Elgood was backing the survey following similar parking problems in his ward.

Anyone wanting more information, or who is willing to help delivering, should call 01273 326081.