Households with two or more cars now outnumber those with no car and there are more than a million homes with at least three.

A survey commissioned by the RAC Foundation suggests that our towns and cities cannot cope with such large increases in car ownership, as a third of drivers have abandoned a journey and gone home after being unable to find a parking space at their destination.

The lack of spaces contributes to congestion as up to 80 per cent of traffic in city centres is made up of drivers searching for somewhere to park.

Arguments abound about the best way to tackle the lack of spaces and the congestion it causes. The RAC Foundation believe that the best way forward is to allow more car park spaces in town and city centres, whilst Transport 2000 are pushing for less to encourage people to use other forms of transport.

What is clear is that brave and innovative thinking is required, particularly in places like Brighton and Hove, which as a destination economy, cannot afford to have a third of visitors abandoning their journey.