Thousands of motorists are set to have their cars towed away if they fail to pay parking fines.

Brighton and Hove City Council will introduce the ‘three strikes and your out’ rule next month in a crackdown on problem parkers.

Under the legislation any motorist with more than three outstanding penalty charge notices (PCN) who have not appealed, or the appeal period has expired, will be classed as a “persistent evaders”.

Council bosses have said any persistent evader risks having their vehicle towed to the city car pound and pay out more than £100 for its release.

The announcement comes the day after a cabinet report predicted a fall of £1 million in the council’s on-street parking income, leading some to suggest the legislation is a means to recoup “lost” revenue.

Liberal Democrat councillor Paul Elgood said: “There are some days when residents and traders can get three tickets in a day. Over a period of a year there could be thousands of people affected.

“Where are they going to put all of the cars? A more common sense attitude must be applied.”

The legislation will come into effect on Monday August 16, in line with guidance issued by the Department for Transport.

The removal release fee is £105 plus the penalty charge notice which is £25 or £35, depending on the type of contravention.

Storage fees cost £12 per day and a vehicle can be stored for up to 90 days.

The police will be informed that the vehicle has gone to the compound and after 14 days the council will write to the DVLA to get hold of the owner’s details.

If there is no response from the owner after 90 days then the vehicle will go to an auction house.

A spokeswoman for the Labour group said the new rules could be seen as a way to raise parking revenue.

A paper presented to the local authority’s cabinet stated a shortfall of £0.95 million had been created due to a drop in the number of PCN’s being issued.

According to officers, this follows a nationally recognised trend for improved compliance.

They added the figure should be largely offset by increased income generation at the refurbished London Road Car Park.

A spokeswoman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: “The council has always had powers to remove vehicles which have multiple outstanding penalty charge notices. Currently this is for five or more.

“From August 16, the council will be able to remove vehicles which have three or more outstanding penalty charge notices. This is in line with Department for Transport guidelines.

“The civil enforcement officers have details of vehicles with outstanding penalty notices on their machines, so that when they know they are about to issue a fourth, they can check whether any appeals have been made and if not, can authorise removal to the pound.

“If the vehicle has a blue badge indicating a disabled driver or passenger, they are not towed away.

“Most people pay their tickets on time and it is unfair that some try to evade payment.

“The council is doing this to highlight to the small number of people who do not pay their penalty charge notices that they run the risk of having their vehicles towed away.