TRADERS protesting at huge hikes in parking permits made their voices heard when they took their campaign to council offices.

Dozens of traders and customers demonstrated outside Weymouth and Portland Boro-ugh Council’s offices where they were met by chief executive David Clarke.

Traders are up in arms about the changes to the Annual Highways Dispensation Sche-me, which has been running for the last 10 years.

The scheme allows traders to park in one-hour bays for longer than the allocated time and to park on double yellow lines while activities like loading for deliveries are being carried out.

The permit used to cost £56 a year but under new plans that came into force on April 1, traders have to pay £10 for the first day and £5 for every subsequent day they are doing the same job in the same area.

But if traders move areas they will have to pay another £10.

Crosby Carpets owner Steve Hayter organised the demonstration and presented a petition with hundreds of signatures to the borough council.

Speaking before the demo he said: “I think it’s disgusting.

“It was so underhandedly done. They made the decision in November and we didn’t know until March 9 when they said they were stopping the dispensation.”

Millie Frost came along to show her support as a customer. She said: “I think it’s disgusting. How many businesses will be put out of business because of this?”

Traders voiced their concerns to Mr Clarke in an impromptu meeting in the council office foyer.

The meeting was occasionally punctuated by laughter, cheering and some heckling when Mr Clarke suggested that since the permits had come into force abuses had taken place.

Mr Clarke concluded the meeting by saying that campaigners had made a ‘strong case’ and promised to meet a small group of campaigners and feed their concerns back to the Management Comm-ittee.

Speaking to the 30 campaigners he said: “You will be heard.

“We will arrange a meeting or a series of meetings.

“My assurance to you is that the council will listen.”

Mr Clarke said the new permits were on trial for a year to bring the borough council in line with Dorset County Council.

The two councils are currently in talks about parking as the county council cabinet recently gave notice to terminate the borough council’s on-street parking agency contracts as of April 2013.

Speaking after the meeting Mr Hayter said that the plan was to now form a group to go and talk to the council.

There will be a meeting on Tuesday, April 10, at 8pm for 8.30pm at Weymouth Working Men’s Club on Mitchell Street.

All traders are welcome to give feedback to be passed on to the council.

Mr Hayter said: “They have to listen to us in the end.

“I think it went really well.

“I was pleased with the turn out.”

He added: “It made them listen.”

He added that people could show their support by signing the petition against the parking charges at Crosby Carpets on St Edmund Street, Weymouth.

Mr Hayter can be contacted about the petition or meeting on 07900 514335.

What they said

• Electrical contractors Keith and Matthew Fry wanted to show their support.

Mr Keith Fry said: “To be honest, it’s pathetic. I have been working in the town for 40 years and had a pass for 10 years – to then turn round and stop it – why?”

• Jerry Penwell, company director of JJP Maintenance said the changes could leave him ‘hugely’ out of pocket. He said: “If I move from the permit area, it’s a huge difference. I’m here to support the businesses that use the town centre every day.”

• Chris Sampson from Dorset Fire Engineers said businesses would end up having to pass the costs of the charges on to customers.

He said: “We’d rather not do it. It’s not good for customer relations.”

• WEYMOUTH and Portland’s environmental director David Evans said after the meeting: “We are interested in listening to what businesses have to say and understand the problems of working in the current economic system.

“But we are trying to bring changes in line with everywhere else in the county – that’s what these charges are.”