Up to 75pc of available resident parking permits across Waveney are going unclaimed, according to new figures released by East Suffolk Council.

Figures show that across Beccles, Bungay, Halesworth and Lowestoft, just over a third of all available resident parking permits are bought by households entitled to have them.

As of July 29, 2019 the total number of addresses eligible for a resident parking permit in Beccles, Bungay, Halesworth and Lowestoft is 4,068.

Resident parking permits are limited to one per house and only 1,308 addresses, or 32.15pc, have bought a resident parking permit.

Resident parking permits cost £22 per year for on street parking, and £150 per year for use in designated car parks.

The area with the highest percentage of resident parking permits claimed is Halesworth, with 122 out of 226 households or 53.98pc.

In Beccles, 38.72pc of available parking permits have been bought, with 304 out of 785 eligble households claiming one.

In Lowestoft, 28.9pc of households, 858 out of 2961, claimed their resident parking permits.

The area in Waveney with the lowest percentage of the permits is Bungay, where only 25pc of eligible housholds, 24 out of 96, have a resident parking permit.

However, the council stated there may be permits for addresses in Oulton Broad, but if the official postal address does not contain the phrase 'Oulton Broad' then it is not recorded separately.

A spokesperson for East Suffolk Council said: "All eligible households are able to apply for a parking permit and will be issued one if they do."

The figures also show as of July 29, the council had allocated 209 car park season tickets, with no specific limit to the amount that can be issued.

The council said: "Demand for season tickets sits well below the number of eligible parking spaces available."

Other freshly released statistics show that between 2017 and 2018, East Suffolk Council made £24,112 from parking permits, which is down 3.3pc from 2016-17, and 5.5pc from 2015-16.

The council spokesperson said they did not wish to speculate on the reasons someone may or may not buy a parking permit.