Alarm spread among commuters to a West Devon town when car park sign appeared today, Thursday, April 16.

The sign at Tavistock’s Brook Street multi-storey car park stated that the car park would be closed overnight from 6pm to 7am every day.

The new evening closure time was apparently two hours earlier than previously.

This worried drivers who work in Tavistock and might finish work after 6pm. Those who have paid for season and other long-term tickets felt especially short-changed, having forked out payment for a pre-set daily period.

However, West Devon Borough Council, which runs the car park, has now reassured drivers the sign is in fact, wrong.

The council confirmed the car park opening times remain unchanged – closing at 8pm Monday to Saturday (inclusive) and reopening at 7am.

The sign also gives the impression the times apply to Sundays, however, the original Sunday opening times of 10am to 4pm remain unaltered.

A council spokesman admitted the sign was ‘incorrect’ and was due to be replaced today.

The spokesman clarified: “The charges stop at 6pm and the car park closes at 8pm, which is the same arrangement as always.

“The sign incorrectly says the car park closes when the charges stop, but nothing has actually changed in terms of opening times, just an incorrect sign.

“The (car park) team is replacing the incorrect sign to reflect the actual closing time properly.”