THE big freeze continues. Motorists scraping frost off their windscreens will gain a little glow of contentment from news that car parking charges are not going up.

Indeed, in some cases they are going down - a trend not seen since the last ice age. Frequent users stand to benefit from significant price reductions.

After the furore over the hike in parking charges and the introduction of evening fees, this announcement will not only cheer drivers, but delight city centre businesses and council bookkeepers too, who stand to gain from fuller car parks.

Updated: 12:03 Tuesday, January 24, 2006