TRADERS fear they could be among the big losers as the council attempts to balance its books by introducing charges to its car parks up to seven days a week.

Derby Road car park in South Woodford and the Hawkey Hall car park in Woodford Green are set to have charges introduced on Saturdays for the first time, while 17 of the other 19 council-owned car parks will charge all week long.

John Russell, manager of the Oxfam shop on South Woodford High Road, has already seen his trade collapse since week-day parking charges were introduced last year at the health centre opposite.

He said: “There’s only two shops to browse in this parade, me and the camera shop. But if the parking is too expensive then shoppers won’t bother.

“I’ve already lost several volunteers because they don’t want to pay the parking charges.

“This will kill local shops. Everyone will just go to Lakeside where there’s free parking.”

The plans, which also include charging motorists using pay-and-display bays seven days a week from 7am to 7pm, could earn the council an extra £120,000 a year.

But they come just a week after the Government abolished the minimum parking fee councils had to charge in a bid to encourage people to shop locally.

Mehmet Suleyman who runs Whistle ‘n’ Flute Dry Cleaners in Woodford Green High Road, said the charges in the nearby Derby Road car park were already discouraging shoppers and hurting his trade.

He added: “It just shows you that they don’t really listen to the Government, they just do what they want.

“It’s just a losing battle. A lot of people will close down because of this.

“If the Government says ‘be more lenient’ and they ignore it and say you have to pay until 7pm, then what people say doesn’t count at all.”

A spokesman for Redbridge Council said: "This is one of the budget options that will be consulted on through the council’s scrutiny and area committees and through the business community.

“The final decisions will not be made until March when the responses from the consultations have been considered.”