A Canvey car park has been left three-quarters empty thanks to new charges introduced by the council, traders have claimed.
Shopkeepers in Furtherwick Road and Oak Road were fuming after Castle Point Council decided to charge people 20 pence per hour to leave their cars in the Oak Road car park.
Rob Savage, owner of Chuck 'Em Out Charlie, in Furtherwick Road, fears trade will drop because people will constantly be in a rush to get back to their cars before their time runs out.
He said: "No-one puts more than 20 pence in and they end up rushing around and looking at their watch because they are worried their time has run out. The car park is about 80 per cent empty all day long but it was packed before."
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