Finding affordable parking within reach of St Albans City station is no easy task, as many an exasperated commuter can confirm. Luckily, savvy locals with space on their driveways have been turning commuter frowns upside down – for a fee.

Yes, some of the good people of St Albans have signed up with Spacehopper, a new ‘peer-to-peer parking service’, renting out their drives and garages for a few quid.

Spacehopper isn’t the only company providing this service, but it’s certainly one of the busiest in this part of Herts – there are 28 parking spaces up for grabs in St Albans, and most of their owners are keen to push their proximity to the City station.

Spacehopper – which is backed by RingGo, the UK’s largest cashless parking business – say home owners could earn up to £1000 annually by outsourcing their spare space. Prices in St Albans start at £4.20 per day for a spot on a Campfield Road drive, to £120 pcm for an underground bay on Chatsworth Court, Stanhope Road.

Spacehopper director Alex Walker said: “Our service is the perfect solution for individuals who have a parking space that is sitting vacant at regular times during the week. If you’ve got a spare space and aren’t using it, why not rent it out?

“Spacehopper also reduces the stress of parking because drivers can book their spaces in advance and have one less thing to worry about.”

Fancy making your drive earn its keep? To sign up or to book a parking space, visit www.spacehopper.com.