The UK's major supermarkets including Aldi, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons have confirmed drivers must follow "maximum parking" rules when visiting their stores. Almost all of the country's major supermarkets advertise that parking restrictions apply in many of their stores, with maximum stay limits one of the most important rules.

Some companies have even warned road users could be hit with parking charges if they don't respect maximum time limits.Information on maximum time limits are usually displayed on signs around the car park, ensuring road users don't miss out on the key information. Introducing maximum time limits tends to ensure businesses are protected from "all-day parking" abuse.

It is also likely to stop road users from simply using the bays to leave their vehicles before visiting other facilities nearby or even friends and family.

In a statement posted online, Asda said: "Most car parks also have a maximum stay limit, which will be displayed within the car park. Our car parks are operated by Horizon and Parkingeye who may issue a parking charge if customers do not follow the terms & conditions."

Meanwhile, Morrisons added: "If there is a charge for parking at your local store and you go over the allocated time, you will receive a parking charge notice. The cost and time to pay can vary depending on who the charge has come from."

Sainsbury's stressed: "Our customers are welcome to park in most of our car parks for up to 2 hours completely free of charge."

Tesco said free parking was available in most stores but accepted that "time is limited to a maximum stay, depending on where the store is."

The rule isn't just in place at the four larger brands with Aldi and Lidl also confirming some restrictions are in place. Aldi gave some more information, explaining that the rule was only in place to ensure all customers can get access to the store.

Aldi posted on their website: "To make sure there's enough room for everyone, we set a limit for how long you can park. There are signs up in all our car parks to tell you more."

Lidl simply explained: "Yes, the current parking restrictions still apply. Please be sure to check the signage displayed in the car park for more details."