A GROUP of traders fear they will be driven out of business after council chiefs put the brakes on parking outside their premises. The owners of car repair garages in Hassop Road, Cricklewood, are expecting a bumpy ride after Brent Council introduced the

A GROUP of traders fear they will be driven out of business after council chiefs put the brakes on parking outside their premises.

The owners of car repair garages in Hassop Road, Cricklewood, are expecting a bumpy ride after Brent Council introduced the parking restrictions along the western side of the street, where they are based, on Monday.

Despite the one-way road being predominately lined with car workshops and rear entries into businesses in Cricklewood Broadway, calls for leniency by the traders have fallen on deaf ears.

Les Parker has run his MOT business in the road for 18 years and claims traders were not consulted about the changes.

He said: "We have been given two weeks notice about this. Parking has been allowed outside our businesses for 40 years so why change that now?

"If customers are unable to park their cars out here my MOT licence could be revoked and I'll have to close.

"We are being attacked for no reason."

Luca Iori, whose family-run business has been in Hassop Road for 45 years, also fears the end is nigh.

He said: "How are we meant to earn money? There is no way we can carry on if they start ticketing."

A few years ago the eastern side of Hassop Road, was made a permit parking zone despite no residents living on the street, causing traders to believe there might be a financial reason for the new rules being implemented.

Mr Iori said: "There are illegally parked and untaxed cars across the other side on the Eastern side but instead the council decides to pick on us."

Mr Parker added: "My business rates have gone up from �12,000 to �18,000 in one year and now they (the council) have mentioned about us buying a business permit to park across the road.

"If they are reasonably priced maybe, but not if they are hundreds of pounds.

"This is unbelievable that they are doing this to us. This is our livelihoods they are playing with.

"We need the parking spaces because we are a garage not a beauty salon."

In a further twist, some traders have already been struggling when yellow lines were painted outside their businesses in February 2008, which hampered their trade.

Aziz Ullah said: "I have had to deal with six to seven tickets a week.

"I expect this will increase once they stop parking all together and I'll lose my business.

A council spokesman said there has always been parking restrictions in Hassop Road, but they have been flouted in the past.

He added: "Brent Council introduced an enforcement plan, which included using double yellow lines on one side of the road, to ensure the traders in this street operate legally and safely.

"Brent Council has received complaints from residents about illegal parking and cars left in various states of repair in the street.