Enforcement officers manning Oxford's car parks have been told to "get motivated and tough" and issue thousands more fines.

Council bosses reckon scores of drivers get away with flouting regulations and have told enforcers to come down hard on those who stay beyond their allotted time limits.

Tougher enforcement at a dozen city council-run car parks including Gloucester Green, Westgate, Worcester Street, Oxpens and smaller, suburban car parks could reap an extra £50,000 a year.

Motorists parking beyond their time limit, not displaying a valid ticket or parking over a marked bay will be slapped with £100 fines - reduced to £50 if paid promptly.

Last year, 11,272 fines were issued raising £500,000corr for the Town Hall, but next year enforcers have been told to break all records.

Last night shoppers using the Westgate car park branded the move "daft and needless nitpicking".

And one enforcement officer said the push would not work.

Parking manager Graham Smith said: "It's partly about motivation, partly about training.

"They all get a basic salary, all get the same pay and all do the same work, but for whatever reason some tend to give more fixed penalties than others - we want to find out why. Obviously we are going to get more income from more penalties - and there are some motorists running the gauntlet and getting away with it. We need to find out where that is happening, and start targeting car parks.

"We have told them (enforcers) in no uncertain terms there is an additional sum in the budget which we have to make up - there is room for improvement."

Oxford City Council is desperately trying to find ways of making savings and generating extra revenue ahead of what is expected to be a tight budget next year.

Enforcement officer Colin Newitt, 44, said: "When I started here 20 years ago I was issuing upwards of 50 tickets a day, now it's between 10 and 20. We are being asked to do the impossible - how can we issue more fines?

"Because of the price of parking people are not coming into Oxford and this is going to put the public off even more. I've been hit, spat at and abused and hospitalised. You name it, I've been called it, but most of it is unrepeatable."

Oxfordshire County Council, which is responsible for on-street car parking, uses Control Plus to police city centre parking.

Last night said Control Plus did not have a problem motivating staff who issued 61,957 fines - or 169 a day - in 2006/07, netting the authority £1.2mall corr.

Labour city councillor group leader Bob Price said: "This is a combination of bad management and an administration clutching at straws."