A Sussex MP's bid to introduce tough new laws on rogue parking firms has been delayed.

Crawley MP Henry Smith launched a Private Members Bill after a raft of complaints from local motorists.

Mr Smith’s Bill, which would see a crackdown on parking firms that issue massive fines on drivers for minor breaches of rules ran out of time in the Commons on Friday.

He will now have to wait until October to find out if the new measures will ever make it to law.

Mr Smith vowed to continue the fight for fairer treatment for drivers, after revealing he has had “encouraging” responses from senior government figures on his proposals.

His campaign was sparked by complaints from residents who had been slapped with fines for small infractions such as failing to properly display tickets or parking on the line of the white box marked out in the car park as well as being “timed out” as they queued to leave a car park.

Mr Smith told MPs that he had come across a “rogue operation”

in his constituency that fined drivers for “dubious reasons”.

He wants local authorities to be given the power to licence organisations that run private car parks in the same way they do for pubs and cab drivers.

He said the process would not cost the taxpayer as it would be covered by a modest fee paid by the operator that wants to be licensed.

Transport Minister Theresa Villiers told him she fully understands the concerns people have about a minority of car park operators.

But the second reading of Mr Smith’s Bill was called just seven minutes before the end of the Commons session.

That meant there was no vote so, under Commons rules, it dropped to the bottom of the queue of business.

Mr Smith told the Argus: “Realistically the chances of it getting on to the statute books now are limited.

“What I will now be doing it seeking to engage with Theresa Villiers to get this include in some way in the government’s freedom bill. I have been receiving encouraging noises from government whips on the issue, it is certainly worth pursuing.”