A lock-up garage in Brighton and Hove has sold for £30,000 at auction.

The figure is one of the highest paid for a simple garage in Brighton and Hove where residents often complain of a severe lack of parking spaces.

Costing more than most new cars and the same as a terraced house in South Wales, the auctioned garage can be found in the heart of Brighton's parking permit zone off Centurion Road, a few minutes walk from the seafront and train station.

It is this prime location that helped it fetch so much.

Fox and Sons Auctions, which sold the unit, sells about five garages a year but auction negotiator Peter Martin said this lot was "exceptional".

He said: "Selling garages is very unpredictable because it is based almost completely on demand. Many of the houses in that area are Victorian and have no garages so there is obviously a clear demand for parking spaces."

Treasurer of the East Sussex branch of the National Association of Estate Agents David Maslen said the sale may have set a precedent.

He said: "I have never known a garage to sell for so much in Brighton. It is probably the most expensive garage in the city.

"But with car use on the increase and rigid parking restrictions I would not be surprised to see more sales like this."

Residents in the Centurion Road area were shocked at the sale.

Tina Harradine, 18, of St Nicholas Road, pays £60 a month for a space in a communal garage off Centurion Road.

She said: "When I tried to get a parking permit I was told I was 210th in the list and that I would have to wait about eight months to get one. It was costing me a fortune in parking tickets so I had to look at other options.

"It is a nightmare but I would never have thought a garage would go for that much."

Fellow Nicholas Road resident, Oliver Neale, 22, said: "You would think you were entitled to a parking space outside your own house but you are not.

"It is ridiculous someone would pay £30,000 for a garage. More fool them."

The garage was expected to fetch about £16,000 when it was auctioned on Tuesday.

Six people placed bids for the unit, which was being sold by a former resident of the area who moved to Brighton Marina.

The buyer of the garage wanted to remain anonymous.