STUDENTS say moves to call a halt to discounted parking could force them to skip lectures and work from home.

University students face more financial woe after the bombshell from Wycombe District Council.

Many students at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College in High Wycombe rely on a scheme which allowed car users to park in the Dovecote multi-storey car park at a subsidised rate.

But the council claims temporary car park closures during the town centre redevelopment will create a shortage of spaces.

Letha Beadnell, a 61-year-old fine arts student who drives from Rickmansworth every day, told Midweek that a lack of affordable parking could be a deciding factor in whether undergraduates decide to study at BCUC.

She said: "I can't understand why the council feels it needs to penalise a small number of students who use the car.

"Public transport is poor so there's an awful lot of people coming from a long way out who are forced to drive."

In previous semesters students were issued with a parking pass at a reduced rate commensurate with individual's financial standing.

But council chiefs opted to shelve the discount system at the end of the spring semester forcing students to pay upwards of £5 a day to park.

Eve Bradford, 20, a first-year student, said: "It's totally unfair. Students were paying around £100 a semester to park. Now they're facing £30 a week. It's a massive rise to have to cope with."

Some students claim the move will force them to skip lectures as they try to avoid paying the increased charges. Imogen Welch, a fifth-year student, added: "Some courses require you to be here eight hours a day, five days a week. If you want to park for the whole day the charge rockets up to about £5 or £6.

"Students simply can't afford that kind of money. Discounts or not, students provide a lot of extra revenue."

From September 2006 students face bills of up to £3,000 a year for tuition fees on top of accommodation and living costs. Matthew Hurst, president of the students union (SU), said: "Only 81 students took up the opportunity this year. Why not carry it through to the end of the (academic) year and give us time to find a suitable solution?"

The district council currently boasts some 5,000 "pay and display" spaces in nine town centre car parks, and some 7,200 spaces in 41 car parks district-wide.

A Wycombe District Council spokesman said: "Preparation works were due to impact on Dovecote car park in April and the decision was taken to finish this arrangement with BCUC at the end of the spring term. Following the extension of the construction period we are now ready to review the renewal of parking concessions up until the end of July."

It is hoped that a park-and-ride service will be up and running in September.