Parking charges are going up in the centre of Brighton, The Argus can reveal.

Churchill Square car park is putting its prices up by at least 25% for every tariff from Sunday.

The 1,600 space 24-hour car park is used by residents, tourists and visitors heading into the city. It is operated by Churchill Security Solutions.

The new rates will see charges go up from £2.20 to £3 for a stay of up to two hours.

The cost of a three hour visit goes up from £3.20 to £4.

But the biggest change is for a stay of between six to eight hours, which is going up from £8.50 to £25.

Charges at council run car parks in the city will go up on the same day but NCP said it had no plans to introduce new charges at its sites in the near future.

The Argus was tipped off about the changes at Churchill Square by a whistle-blower.

A Churchill Square spokeswoman defended the move, saying the increase in charges was only the second in the past four years.

Signs setting out the prices will go up on Sunday.

Business leaders and store owners criticised the increases at a time when many shops are already struggling.

The managers at Next, Urban Outfitters and Clinton Cards said they had not been made aware of the parking hikes.

This week the bosses behind Game, which has a store in Churchill Square, announced that the company had gone into administration.

Tony Mernagh, the executive director of Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership, said the car park was cheaper than others in the centre.

He said: “It’s unfortunate that anything has to increase in price but it is still 60% cheaper than Church Street NCP during the week and 75% cheaper on weekends.

“In the grand scheme of things it still represents good value for money.”

Claire Ottewell, the chair of Brighton and Hove Tourism Alliance, said: “Churchill Square has not increased its parking charges for four years and is still a considerably cheaper option than other city centre car parks.”