THE owner of a Whitefield car showroom says he is struggling to carry on his business because of the scourge of traffic wardens.

Jack Stone, who runs the Radcliffe Car Centre on Radcliffe New Road, was given a parking ticket last month after leaving a vehicle at the front of the showroom on the pavement, while reversing another out of the workshop.

But Mr Stone insisted that he has always run his business this way, and has been given the backing of the police.

He said: "I have been here for 21 years and have never had any problems parking in this way. The police have told me that as long as the vehicles did not stay there for long, it would be alright. While cars are being moved around out of the workshop, we might leave a car on the pavement for five minutes.

"It is hard because we are based on the side of a mini-roundabout and there are double yellow lines all round.

"The cars cannot be parked on the road because it would restrict it to one lane. There is no other way we can conduct the business, and if they are going to stick a ticket on the cars every time one is parked on the front, it is just crazy."

Mr Stone wrote to NCP after being issued with the penalty notice ordering him to pay £30 in 14 days, or the full fine of £60.

He explained to them that he had spoken to the police previously about the situation, but received a reply from NCP informing him that the fine was to be upheld.

A spokesman for Bury Council said: "Our parking attendants can only make a judgment on whether to issue a ticket on the circumstances at the time and if vehicles stationary in a parking restricted area go over a reasonable period of time then clearly our attendants are obliged to issue a ticket and apply the law fairly.

"However, if Radcliffe Car Centre is continually moving the cars around, there should be no problem unless there are no loading/unloading restrictions in place. The company should use the appeals procedure and it is possible the notices may be cancelled.

"If the firm has greater concerns over how to operate the business in light of the restrictions that are in the area, they should contact the council's parking services manager to discuss the problems its staff are encountering."