DRIVERS are faced with losing free parking privileges as councillors moved one step nearer to imposing controversial charges on Dartmouth's market car park.

Town councillors have only recently worked out that they are being hammered by a £7,000 a year business rates bill for the 58-space car park.

But they reckon that they could rake in an income of up to £70,000 a year if they start charging drivers to use it.

Now they are calling for a feasibility study to try to sort out a charging plan.

Cllr Chris Smith warned: 'We are not a charity and should be making the best use of our assets.'

At the moment parking at the town council-owned car park is effectively a free-for-all. The only restrictions are on Tuesday and Friday market days when parked cars have to be cleared off the site to make way for traders.

The town council has flirted with the idea of charging for the parking spaces on and off for the last 20 years but has always pulled back from imposing charges.

Now the town's corporate property committee is taking a fresh look at the idea after discovering the size of the business rates bill for the car park alone.

This year the town council is actually faced with forking out £15,000 because it got away with paying nothing last year while the market was closed for the huge facelift completed last August. It has been hit with paying double after it was pointed out that while the Old Market may have been closed the car park was still in use.

Councillors are recommending the launch of a study to look at the possibility of charging for the car park and how it could be done.

Cllr Roger Chilcott said that on the basis of a charge of 50p to park between 9am and 5pm each day, the car park could bring in up to £70,000 a year pouring into the council coffers.

And committee chairman Robin Springett said: 'All we would be doing is bringing our car park into line with everyone else.'

Cllr Smith said the town council should even be in a position to hire out the car park as he explained: 'Let's say if someone had a wedding in the town and needed parking for 58 cars, we should be in a position to let that car park to them.'

And deputy mayor Rob Lyon pointed to the business rates bill and added: 'We would be at fault with our ratepayers if we didn't try to cover that cost. We need to investigate how we can run that car park.'

Cllr Dave Cawleysaid that 'historically' people with no car parking have used the car park and charging for spaces would impact a lot of people.

He said the council could also look at whether residents could be allowed pay to continue to have parking privileges on the car park.

'This could displace a lot of people and make a lot of people angry,' he warned.