Parking charges in Mid Sussex are to be cut just six months after they went up because of a boycott by drivers.

From November 4, owners leaving their cars in long-stay car parks for more than four hours will pay £2, not £4.

The U-turn comes after a petition to Mid Sussex District Council calling for the £4 rate to be reduced.

Many drivers refused to pay the new daily charge and were instead parking in streets, angering home-owners in Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath and East Grinstead.

The empty parking spaces were also hitting the council coffers.

Since prices were increased in April, there has been a £150,000 drop in income.

The decision to reduce the tariffs was made at a cabinet meeting last night.

Council leader Christine Field told members: "It is very easy to be wise after the event.

"I hope our decision is taken as evidence that we are prepared to listen to what people want.

"Now we must appeal to people's better nature and ask that they come back to using the long-stay car parks and no longer cause inconvenience to others."

Business leaders warned the price rises could cost the region £10 million a year by driving away potential employees and customers.

More than 3,000 signed a petition organised by traders' group Sussex Enterprise to get the price rise reversed.

Sussex Enterprise area director Stephen Rostron said: "We are very pleased with this decision. It is satisfying to know the council have shown itself to be caring.

"Many people who worked in the town centres could simply not afford to pay £20 a week for parking. Now we would like people to go back to using the car parks and stop parking on the local roads."

Under the new system, the price of season tickets will also be halved.

Weekly parking tickets will cost £10, a monthly ticket £38, a quarterly ticket £110 and a yearly ticket will be £375.

Anyone who has already bought a dearer ticket will have it extended.

Charges for staying more than four hours in short-stay car parks will remain at £4.

Between April and July the number of four-hour-plus tickets sold fell by 32,403 compared with the same period last year.