MOTORISTS are to be hit by a hike in parking prices as city centre charges soar as much as 43 per cent - just in time for Christmas shopping.

Glasgow City Council will announce on Monday that car parks across are to see prices rise from early December.

These range from a lift of just 10p at Dunlop Street to a 43 per cent rise at Dundasvale Court, in Cowcaddens.

Hugh Bladon, a spokesman for the motoring group the Association of British Drivers, said: “The problem we have is that councils are short of cash and the easiest target for many is poor, beleaguered motorists.

“Motorists are always the first port of call for councils needing to get a bit more money in and they are fed up of it.

“In fact, if it wasn’t for motorists, the Exchequer would collapse completely - we are treated like bottomless pits of money.

“Parking charges eat into a person’s salary considerably and if you look at some of these Glasgow car parks, you would be paying £60 for a working week.”

Car parks affected are sited at: Newton Street, Burnside Street, Cathedral Square, Glasgow Cross, Dundasvale Court, Lilybank Gardens, Kelvingrove Museum, the Riverside Museum, Dunlop Street and Anderston Centre.

While the change in charges vary across each site and depend on how long drivers leave their vehicles, the largest hike is at Burnside, Cathedral Square, Glasgow Cross, Dundasvale Court and Lilybank where parking for seven to eight hours will shoot up from £8.40 to £12.

Glasgow City Council is also introducing more paid-for parking for electric vehicles, which had previously been free of charge.

Stuart Patrick, chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce said:

"We fully understand the financial pressures on the City Council and that parking charges generate income, however we need to strike a long-term balance between income and attracting people into the city.

"Our members remain concerned that charges are being pushed too far and this will discourage people from coming into Glasgow.”

“The approach taken to parking charges needs to support our local economy and we will continue to call for a more balanced approach to parking charges that understands the impact to local businesses of rising parking charges.

"Perhaps deals or offers are the way forward, for example, offering free parking at certain times, and more incentives at the weekend, in recognition of extended shopping hours and the constant improvement in our restaurant, leisure and entertainment business.”

The Evening Times told in February this year how electric car owners would no longer be allowed to park for free in council charging bays after Glasgow transport chiefs said some drivers were hogging the spaces.

Councillors who voted to bring in the charges were told the surge in electric and hybrid car ownership means demand for the spaces is now outstripping supply.

Members of Glasgow City Council’s sustainability and environment committee voted to impose a two-hour time limit for using the bays at a cost of £3 per hour.

Now the shake up has been extended to the Riverside Museum and Kelvingrove where parking will now cost £1.

Disabled parking will still be free at all sites when the new charges are introduced on Tuesday, December 6.

A spokeswoman for City Parking said: “Our surface car parks are among the most competitive in the city, with high demand for spaces. Parking costs have not been increased at these sites since October 2014.

“The slight increase of 30p per hour at some of our car parks is to help manage the demand and availability of spaces at these locations.

“In relation to the sites offering electric vehicle charging facilities, these were previously provided on a no charge basis. However, as a result of the increased demand for these spaces and the lack of vehicle turnover in these bays it is deemed necessary to introduce charges to facilitate a more equitable use of the charging bays.”