Parking fees for coastal town 'will deter visitors'

Durham County Council says the new charges bring Seaham into line with other places

Business owners in a coastal town say they fear the introduction of parking charges will discourage people from visiting.

Charges of £3 all day - or £1 an hour - apply from Monday at six car parks along North Road in Seaham, County Durham.

There were almost 3,000 objections from the public when it was proposed, but Durham County Council voted through the changes on 20 February.

The council said it brought the seaside town "in line" with others along the North East coast.

Carl Thompson who sells ice cream is worried about the impact of the parking charges on visitor numbers to his shop

Carl Thompson, owner of Lickety Split ice cream parlour said "decisions like this kick you when you're down".

“We’ve been open 17 years and we’ve never known times like this. Costs are going up, it’s really hard to run a business."

Andrew Harrison from the Armoury veterans bar and cafe said introducing the parking just before the main tourism season was unhelpful

Andrew Harrison, owner of the Armoury veterans bar and café, 54 agreed.

“People might be deterred to come to the coast as free parking was one of the pulls," he said.

But Josh Anderson from Horden, County Durham said he thought councils needed to bring in money.

"Personally I’m happy enough to pay the charge because of what’s around in the local area,” he said.

Josh Anderson from Horden says he'd be happy enough to pay the charge

Mark Jackson, Durham County Council’s head of transport and contract services, said: "The introduction of parking charges on Seaham seafront will bring it into line with the rest of the car parks along the North East’s coast, where charges are already in place.

"There will still be free car parking in numerous other car parks around Seaham town centre, all of which are a short walk from the sea front," he added.