Angry traders have been drawing up petitions in a bid to overturn a decision to introduce parking charges in Richmond Hall car park in Benfleet.

Castle Point Council officers want to charge shoppers 20p an hour to park their cars in the area just next to the High Road.

But shopkeepers claim the cost could ruin their businesses and even force some of the smaller stores to close.

Butcher Michael Arnold, 43, has worked at Barkin's Butchers in the High Road for 23 years and is furious at the proposal.

He said: "The council just doesn't understand. It looks at the car park and sees it is three quarters full and it thinks it will get a bit of extra money.

"But most of the cars belong to the traders and we will just park elsewhere.

"Customers don't like the principle of having to pay and they will go somewhere else to do their shopping.

"The council tried to introduce a similar charge about six years ago and we lost a lot of business and some shops had to close down.

"Now it is trying to do it again."

Mr Arnold has filled eight pages with the signatures of customers opposed to the charges.

Nearby Helen Grigson, manager of Grouts the Bakers, has filled over ten pages with signatures.

Mrs Grigson said: "People are queuing up to sign. Everyone is up in arms about this. It could kill off this parade of shops.

"We are already having to struggle because of the big supermarkets which have free car parks.

"People like small shops, but they will stop coming if they have to pay to park. It is very worrying."

Joanne Smart, manageress of decorating shop Interior Decor, has enough signatures to fill six pages of the petition.

Joanne said: "When they introduced charges before we noticed a considerable drop in customers and everyone is worried about the impact of the charges.

"People will not bother to come here anymore if the council have their way."

The charges in Richmond Hall car park are among a number of new parking charges councillors will be discussing at a meeting of the highways committee tonight.

John Waugh, the council's borough secretary, said the highways committee had a duty to find extra money to help balance the authority's books. He added: "We realise this can be an emotive issue and some of the charges will be considered controversial.

"I think most people are conscious there is virtually not a car park in the country where paying is not the norm."

Signing up - customers Peter and Shelia Kennison, from Benfleet, add their signatures to Michael's petition

Picture: STEPHEN LLOYD

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.