FURIOUS traders in Tavistock this week hit out at substantial hikes in car parking charges, to take effect just before one of the busiest holiday weekends of the year.

The increases, some as much as 35%, are being imposed in car parks owned by West Devon Borough Council. It means the hourly charge will be increased from 60p to 80p, with effect from April 4.

Colin Durant, deputy manager at Somerfield, said the store was ?gobsmacked? at the charge rise and has started a petition in protest. The company refunds car parking money from the Brook Street car park to customers spending more than £10 in-store.

?We are shocked and amazed they are doing this without any consideration of the businesses here,? said Mr Durant. ?It?s certainly going to affect us, and all the other shops.

?We have a certain amount built into our budget for car park refunds and an extra 20p, without any notice, has obviously not been budgeted for.?

?The council has a shortfall in their budget and this is the easiest way to fill it, but they are not thinking about the budgets of businesses ? do they want to attract people in the town centre or don?t they?? said Mr Durant.

Town trader John Follett said he was ?totally behind? Somerfield?s petition. ?It?s nice to have one of the big multiples shouting the cause for the town ? I think it?s an abysmal decision.? said Mr Follett.

Nicky Petts, owner of Four Seasons Floral Art and Gifts, said: ?I do think it?s expensive and there?s no other town centre car park ? we have a very elderly population here, they need to park in the middle of Tavistock and it is going to affect them.?

Alison Doidge, of Mainly Stationery, said car parking in Tavistock was expensive even without the price rise: ?People are watching their money and this will discourage people from the town centre,? she said.

Brook Street businessman Adrian Towl said: ?Parking in town is poor anyway and this will make things worse. We are trying to attract people into Tavistock ? this is not a wise idea,? he said.

David Scrivener, chairman of Tavistock and District Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber was ?dismayed? by the increases: ?Tariffs were last increased three years ago ? these increases represent a rise of more than three times the rate of inflation, with no corresponding improvement in service received by the public. The previous increase was also in excess of inflation.?

Mr Scrivener said it was ?particularly disappointing? that yet again, the price rises were imposed without any consultation with the business community.

Mr Scrivener slammed the rises as a ?stealth tax?, which followed an increase in council tax of more than twice the rate of inflation.

Cllr Dick Eberlie, chairman of the council's policy committee, said the borough council had a ?stark choice? because it faced a budget crisis and had to fill a £1-million black hole. He said it was due to the Government failing to pay money due to West Devon, and to new legislative demands.

The choice was either to increase council tax ?massively? or to find most of the money by cuts in service costs and raise charges, including car parking charges.

He said: ?I sincerely regret we have had to do that Following a long discussion, nobody wanted to increase car parking charges, but the situation was forced on us. Most people, we think, prefer increased charges to increased council tax.?