A car parking fee and time shake up is heading to south Norfolk today after council leaders agreed to make changes to help boost town's economies.

South Norfolk Council's cabinet has approved an off street car parking proposals report looking at all the authority's public car parks in Wymondham and Diss to encourage drivers to use under-utilised edge of town parking sites to ease the problem of busy or full town centre car parks.

It will create short stay shoppers car parks, with a maximum of four hours, and long stay car parks with people paying £4 to park all day, an increase of a £1.

All day car parks at Market Street and Back Lane in Wymondham and Chapel Street Upper and Lower, Weaver's Court and Mount Street in Diss will be converted to short stay shoppers and resident permit holder car parks.

The maximum time allowed would be four hours, with fees increasing to £5 to park for three to four hours.

The other council car parks would be long stay and non-residents permit only, with all day parking costing £4, a £1 increase.

A 30 space new car park will also be created in Ayton Road in Wymondham.

There will be an annual season ticket increase from £240 to £300 and the car park in Cemetery Lane in Wymondham will gain long stay status.

The changes will lead to a £65,388 surplus for the council.

The proposals paper says the sometime non-existent car parking available in the town centres 'impacts on shopper footfall and therefore the vitality of the town centres we are working to support'.

Harleston and Loddon would not be affected by car parking charges in the 2016/17 period at least and Long Stratton arrangements will not be changed due to an agreement with Co-op for parking.