Car parks in Watford have been revealed to charge more by the hour compared to towns in the Three Rivers District and Bushey.

Spending an afternoon exploring Cassiobury Park or wandering round the pubs and shops in Watford town centre, while leaving your car at the Gade Car Park, on Rosslyn Road, will cost £1 for an hour or £6 for 12 hours.

The Avenue Car Park, on Hempstead Road, is ideal for the Central library, leisure centre, council offices, West Herts College or the Colosseum and is slightly cheaper at 60p for an hour, £2.40 for four hours or £5 for the full day, if you are in after 7am and out by 12am. In the evening, after 5pm and before 12am, the charge is £1.50.

On busy days the number of spaces may be limited, so the Town Hall Car Park, in Peace Prospect, serves as a helpful alternative for people visiting the Colosseum.

During Monday to Friday from 4pm to 12am, there is a flat rate charge of £1.50 at this particular car park, but motorcyclists are able to park for free.

The Intu Shopping Centre is situated next to both the Kings and Queens Car Parks, in Beechen Grove, and also has a price of one hour parking for £1 or seven hours for £10.

Football fans hoping to see their beloved home team win a game at the Vicarage Road stadium can pull up at Church Car Park, Exchange Road, for an hour at £1 or a slightly higher rate of £15 for 24 hours. Watford Junction Station Car Park, in Station Road, has a flat rate of £5.70 from Monday to Friday between 10am and 12am, however on Saturday and Sunday, it is the same price to stay for 24 hours.

Those who are planning to leave their car at the Junction for a longer period of time while on holiday or travelling can pay £31.50 for a week of parking.

Meanwhile, the Three Rivers District was revealed to have the highest number of free spaces to park, regardless of whether this is a short or long stay.

In Rickmansworth, the Northway Multi Storey has 104 spaces and four disabled spaces, although none are suited for motorcyclists. Parking for a maximum of two hours is free.

Ebury House Car Park, in Ebury Road, Rickmansworth, is also free for 2 hours and parking on Talbot Road, along the High Street, is free after 8.30am to 6.30pm between Monday and Friday, but £3 to stay there for 24 hours.

Croxley Green’s Community Way is free all day and Causeway House, on the High Street, in Abbotts Langley, which has 106 parking spaces, is free too.

The Ferry Car Park, on Lower Road, in Chorleywood, is free for a maximum stay of four hours.

Finding a spot to leave your car in Bushey and Aldenham is also mostly without charge.

The Rutts Car Park, along the High Road, in Bushey, costs 70p for an hour, which could be useful for those needing to quickly pick up groceries at the nearby Tesco Express or spend a couple of hours eating at Waffle House Waffleberry or Meze Mangal.

If you want to spend longer perusing the shops, five hours is £4, but after 6.30pm until 8am, parking is free, as well as on bank holidays.

Motorcyclists and people needing disabled spots will not face any charge.

The car park at Kemp Place, next to St James’ Church and Bushey Country Club, is free all day Monday to Sunday and has 120 spaces available.

Do you know any other car parks in Hertfordshire that are cheaper or more expensive? Comment below or email rachel.russell@london.newsquest.co.uk