Seafront gift shop owner Andrew Johnson was particularly concerned about a new £1 fee, payable after 6pm. He also attacked an "all-day" charge which expired at 6pm.

On one recent occasion, he estimated 15 visitors were caught out after not realising the all-day ticket they bought did not entitle them to stay after 6pm.

"People are coming back to their cars at 6.30pm or 7pm and finding they have got penalty notices. How would you feel after paying £4.40 for an all-day ticket to come back at 7pm and find there is a fine on top of that? It will make you think twice about coming back," said Mr Johnson.

Also affected were people arriving in the resort at around 5pm. He said they would have to return to the car park at 6pm to buy an extra £1 ticket if they wanted to stay longer. Mr Johnson predicted that many would just decide to go home at 6pm.

He said he had also noticed a big difference in the amount of people on the promenade in the evening and blamed the £1 charge. Hunstanton was often glorious in the evening but the car parks were practically empty.

"These charges are driving people away," said Mr Johnson. A further deterrent would be an even higher £5 all-day charge being introduced in the peak summer period, he hit out.

A West Norfolk Council spokesman said they had taken on board feedback about the new charges and were continuing to do so.

Machines had been changed to enable people to buy tickets for the after-6pm period at the same time as their daytime parking ticket.

"We have also introduced an all-day charge which will be a for a 24-hour period," she said.

New signs were being produced to make the changes and charges clearer. During the initial period, some leniency had been shown and warning cards rather than penalty notices had been issued.

Records showed that there was only one occasion on May 18 when 13 penalty tickets were issued to "all-day" parkers who overstayed. She admitted this was an error and said they were later cancelled.

"Some of these tickets have been paid over the Internet, which means we cannot contact the individuals concerned. If anyone feels they shouldn't have paid their ticket they can contact us to discuss the matter," she said.

"Once the new signs are in place, stricter enforcement will take place to ensure that the appropriate tickets are bought and displayed," she said.

Summer charging during July and August, when the all-day charge would increase from £4.40 to £5, was common practice in seaside resorts during the high season, she added.