FURIOUS traders in Heston have accused the council of breaking its promise not to use a new CCTV camera to issue parking fines.
Shopkeepers in Vicarage Farm Road claim they were told when the camera went up last year it would be used only to monitor anti-social behaviour.
But over the last fortnight a number of businesses on the busy parade, along with their customers, have got tickets after being caught on film illegally using the loading bay.
They claim the fines are already hitting trade and have called for the camera to be removed or the loading bay to be turned into free parking bays for shoppers.
Manish Pabari, who runs estate agent Home Hunters, said: "When the camera went up we were told by officers it was for anti-social behaviour and wouldn't be used to issue tickets to drivers using the loading bay. Now they've moved the goalposts.
"Local parades like this need support and we've asked for more parking before, but without success.
"What really infuriates us is how there's been no consultation - the first most of us knew about it was when we received a parking ticket through the post."
Although there are already nine payand-display bays along the parade of about 30 stores, where shoppers can park for up to half an hour for just 10p, traders say these are almost always full.
The loading bay can accommodate up to three cars but signs specify it is only for use by HGVs, while many shopkeepers use their own smaller run-arounds to make deliveries.
Traders, led by Harvey Jaswal, handed in a petition calling for the camera to go at last Thursday's Heston and Cranford area committee meeting.
Mr Jaswal, who runs Eye Care opticians, said: "The camera wasn't needed to control anti-social behaviour, because we never had that many problems. We feel it's been introduced to catch drivers by stealth.
"About 12 years ago half the parade was empty and it will be like that again if the council doesn't do something about the parking."
