A DRIVEWAY in Bournemouth could be worth £1,200 to householders who take advantage of the credit crunch by renting it out.

At £9 per day, parking in Bournemouth town centre puts a strain on the finances of workers, many in low paid shop work.

Now many are turning their backs on costly car parks and looking for a cheaper alternative.

And home owners who have parking spaces or driveways could cash in, it is claimed.

A commuter league table has revealed that a parking space near Bournemouth town centre can rake in £1,200 per year, the 16th highest in the UK.

At £3,632, London driveways are the most lucrative, followed by Liverpool, Leeds, Cardiff and Manchester.

Parking space website yourparkingspace.co.uk helps match drivers to spaces and lists details of all those available.

Currently the site has a "24/7" space at Bournemouth Triangle up for grabs at £25 per week, one between Bournemouth and Boscombe for £10 per week and another near the town's main railway station for £40 per month.

A space in the West Cliff area is listed for £100 per month and one in Westbourne for £15 per week, all considerably cheaper than the nearest car parks.

"As the credit crunch has bitten, commuters are desperate to cut parking costs by renting driveways and home owners are very keen to make money by renting them out," said website founder Charles Cridland.

"As people continue to feel the pinch we expect to see even more driveways being offered to hard-up commuters."