It has been revealed that the number of car parking spaces in four of London 2012's host boroughs will be more than halved during the Olympic Games.

Commuters and residents living and working in the city have been warned that some parts of the capital will become virtual no-go zones for cars during the Olympics as space is commandeered for delegates for the duration of the Games.

Ordinarily there are 36,000 public parking spaces, both free and paid for, in the four key Olympic boroughs of Newham, Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest.

But during the games this will drop to fewer than 16,500 because of Olympic parking regulations, according to Park-Up.com, a website and app that provides parking information.

It said every street in the four boroughs would be subject to new restrictions running from early in the morning until late evening. Only residents and business permit holders have the right to park, but they will still have to apply for a paper or virtual permit in advance from the relevant council.

Parkup.com's managing director, Norman Olaniran, said: "Locog's new parking proposals aren't easy to access or understand online and for specifics, citizens and visitors are expected to check with individual council websites.

"It's a total nightmare. I was surprised by how confusing it was – they could have made it so much easier to understand. The parking attendants will have to work double time."

(H)