Workers who use a park and ride site face being hit in the pocket with a hike in fares because it is so popular.

Drivers using Portway park and ride before 9.30am face an increase in fees from £1.70 to £2.

County hall chiefs hope this will encourage more commuters to use the Capitol Centre site, Walton-le-Dale, where peak time fees will remain the same, to free up more spaces at the Portway site for shoppers to use during the day.

Off-peak fees at the Capitol Centre are due to rise from 90p to £1 to meet increased operating costs. The proposal is supported by Preston and District Chamber of Trade general manager Julia Horn.

She said: "The purpose of the park and ride is to get shoppers into the city centre.

"I have seen the Portway site at 9.30 in the morning completely jammed up. I don't know if it will deter workers from using it though as £10 a week to park your car is not that much."

Commuters using the site were less impressed. Emma Kenny, 21, who commutes from Whitestake, said: "When you compare it to what you pay in the city centre, it's a cheap service. But it's unfair we should be penalised for using this site and not the other."

Fellow commuter Peter Charnock, 40, pictured left, a student support worker at Preston College, said: "I think it's wrong. If they are going to put fees up, they should put them both up."

Lancashire County Council will make a final decision on December 20, and if agreed the rises will take effect in the new year.