PARISH councillors in Lymm say the introduction of new parking charges has seen shoppers stop elsewhere.

A reduction in free parking from one hour to 15 minutes started in December.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Anna Fradgley has undertaken a parking review with vice chairman, Cllr John Bamforth.

Both were out last Thursday and Saturday assessing the roads around the Davies Way, Henry Street and Pepper Street car parks.

They also conducted interviews with shoppers and traders.

Cllr Fradgley said, “We are finding that cars are avoiding the car parks.

“Davies Way had an occupancy of 58 per cent and Pepper Street an occupancy of 65 per cent on Saturday morning, the busiest trading day and time of the week.

“It is evident that cars are finding on-road parking spaces not used before and walking into the village. Danebank Road is a concern.

“Many more cars are double parking which is causing major traffic congestion on a road used by large lorries and tractors to avoid the weight restricted village centre bridge. Residents are informing me of near misses on that road.

“More cars are parking along Rosebank and Pepper Street creating a nuisance for residents.

“The crash on Higher Lane involving a motorcyclist and a car last week has really shaken a lot of people up and more are calling for traffic calming measures in the village.

“The parish council is looking into this and we are setting up a meeting with Warrington Borough Council to look at the options.”

Cllr Bamforth said: “The opinions of residents remain unchanged. They want the free one hour parking back.

“Now the changes are in place there is more anger than before.

“Traders are finding that people are either not coming into Lymm or are just dashing in and out, not taking time to browse. Many commented on how much quieter the village is compared to previous Januarys.”

Cllr Fradgley added: “I don’t think the borough council is taking this seriously enough. We cannot wait until March for a review. We need to restore the free one hour as soon as possible.”