Watch: Dudley traders fearful for future after 'disgusting' car parking charges introduced

It has sparked furious debate and protest across Dudley borough, with petitions being launched to protest the removal of free car parking over concerns the fees could harm trade for businesses in the borough's town centres.

The impact of the charges were visible on Wednesday morning at Dudley Market, with less footfall across Market Square and the surrounding shops, and several traders voicing their concerns about the charges and how they saw the future.

One who asked not to be named said he and his family had been trading there since the 1950s and said he felt that the charges had seriously hit the amount of footfall to the point where he didn't know if he could continue trading after Christmas.

That same sentiment was echoed by Chris Bradnick, owner of Di-licious Sweets and Treats, who said that he felt that the introduction of the charges was going to be a massive thorn in the side of everyone in the town.

He said: "The biggest problem is the cost as you're paying £2.50 to park for two hours on car parks around here, or all day for £6 and there are people who are not going to pay that kind of money.

"Since they came in at the start of the month, takings have been down about 50 per cent and people didn't realise that they were coming in last week, they were coming in and thinking it was still free, but when they found they had to pay up, there were a few of them, especially customers, who said 'it'll be the last time you see me'.

"In one instance, I understand why the council have done it as they want to bring revenue back in to do improvements to car parks, but in another instance, I step back and look at a council which has lost £35,000 worth of IT equipment and they don't know where it is.

"We need a compromise as we can't carry on like this as the footfall was down anyway due to the bus station works, the tram works and then putting loads of roadworks around the town."

Inside the nearby Plaza Mall, there were plenty of stallholders who expressed their displeasure about the new charges, saying that they felt that it could be the death knell for the town as people wouldn't want to come in due to the charges.

The owner of Plaza Mall, Tony Swannie, said he felt it was another nail in the coffin for Dudley and criticised the council for adding another charge for people to pay.

He said: "It's so quiet at the moment and we're fighting all the way as Plaza Mall specialises in bringing the small retailer back to the High Street.

"I know the council needs money, but they need to get it from the central Government, and they're instead taking it from the average spend that people have, which is around £40 a week, and taking it off them with car parking charges.

"People will end up going to Merry Hill as it's free parking there. I've found that the footfall here is at critical levels and we've tried to help our tenants out as much as we can, but you can only do so much.

"The council are there in power to rule, but they've got to think carefully about these car park charges because it's a lifeline for all the retailers in Dudley as they're small retailers who rely on every penny, so to take free car parking away has been a big mistake."

Among the small retailers in Dudley town centre is Teddy Grays, a traditional shop at the heart of the town, and shop assistant Gina Morgan said it is already experiencing the effects of the charges coming in.

She said: "I think the charges are disgusting as we haven't got many people coming in anyway, but to put in car parking charges, I think, is going to kill the town.

"We've already seen the impact as we don't open on Mondays, but the last few days have been really quiet and I think a lot of traders feel the same about the charges.

"A few customers have said that they'll come to town for 10 to 15 minutes, look at a few shops and that's it.

"I really do think the council could find other ways to raise funds than through car parking charges."