Council chiefs were temporarily caught out on Bank Holiday Monday when a dash to the coast for the spring sunshine ended in queues at a packed clifftop car park.

Hundreds of drivers were left frustrated because the gate remained locked for the overflow car park at Runton Road in Cromer, with the main area already full.

North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) chief executive Sheila Oxtoby said the overflow car park was 'never open' at this time of year, and added: 'It's unheard of to have that volume of traffic but we opened it as soon as we knew it was needed - within half an hour of being told. We were really pleased that it was such a buoyant weekend.'

But Danny Hickling, who runs Little Gems crystal shop on Mount Street, was not impressed.

He said an estimated 500 spaces were inaccessible, and added: 'It was great to see so many people enjoying themselves and bringing vitally-needed money to our town, yet so frustrating to see so many visitors leaving after the disappointment of not being able to park and visit Cromer.

'At a time of recession it is so important that our car parks are able to cope with peak demand, yet this problem has been going on with no resolution for the last year.'

Mr Hickling said he estimated that up to £2,500 per day was being lost in potential car park revenue.