TRADERS say free parking introduced in the wake of the Mini-Holland has caused their takings to drop.

Shopkeepers say residents are abusing the free bays outside shops in Higham Hill Road and Palmerston Road in Walthamstow.

They want 30 minutes or an hour’s free parking for customers to stop  residents from leaving their cars parked outside their shops for days on end.

Hilem Shah, who runs Bargain Beds on Higham Hill Road, said Waltham Forest Council did not consult him before introducing free parking on the street.

He said: “I am really angry because they consulted all the residents about the free parking but they do not listen to us at all.

“They gave me two parking bays for customers for 15 minutes but that is not enough time to come in and buy a bed.

“I am sure I could increase my business by 50 per cent if there was 30 minutes or an hour’s free parking but the council don’t have the capacity to understand.

“They might care about residents but it is absolutely rubbish that they care about businesses.”

Majid Shams, who runs Shamas Food Store in Palmerston Road, said before Mini-Holland he was making over £2,000 a week and now he is down to £1,000.

He said: “I have run this business for 20 years and this is the worst I have ever seen it.

“I am angry about the council not listening to us.

“I had to lay off five staff members and I was sad to leave them go but I am struggling just to pay my bills.

“If I don’t pay my council tax they send the bailiffs in but they don’t care about us.”

Ghulam Rasool, who runs a Zan Hairdressers in Higham Hill Road, Walthamstow, said his customers drive off because they cannot find a space on the street.

The father-of-five said: “For the last year I am only getting two or three customers a day and it used to be eight.

“Customers tell me they drive up and because they cannot find a space they just drive to a shopping centre.

“My business is struggling and at the moment it is 50/50 if I will stay open.

“Mini-Holland is a pain in the neck for everyone.”

Salman Pales, the manager of Food Express takeaway on Higham Hill Road, wants 30 minutes free parking for his customers.

He said: “We would really benefit from 30 minutes free parking because the people living in flats above the shops leave their cars parked outside for two or three days.

“It would be a better system because customers are always telling me they cannot find parking when they want to get a takeaway.”

Karen Thomas, bartender at The Warrant Officer pub in Higham Hill Road, said she is forced to wheel beer kegs up the street because the delivery van cannot park outside the door.

She said: “We have to wheel the kegs up from the delivery van and you can imagine how heavy they are.

“When my partner drops me off for work he has to park 300 yards down the road and I have to walk up.

“There needs to be more free parking and there should be customer bays for the businesses.”

Meanwhile, the road closures have hugely affected taxi drivers.

Sabir Hussain, who works as a mini-cab driver in Leyton, said his previous income of £80 per day has now been reduced to £25.

He said: “At rush hour now a journey takes an hour and I can only charge £5 because it’s under two miles.

“It is wasting my time because I could be getting more customers.

“I feel so bad when my wife asks where for money for the shopping and I have no money.

“My income has been cut in half and I am feeling stressed.”

Cllr Clyde Loakes, deputy leader and cabinet member for environment said: “We have not introduced any unlimited free parking bays in Palmerston Road or Higham Hill Road as part of the Mini-Holland scheme.

“There are already a number of mixed use parking bays on Palmerston Road and Higham Hill Road, which are available for both short stay and permit parking.

“These are Pay by Phone bays where motorists can pay to park for a maximum of two hours between 8am and 1pm and 2pm and 6.30pm, Monday to Saturday.

None of these bays offer unlimited free parking as we are keen to ensure a high turnover of shoppers who arrive in our town centres and shopping parades by car, for exactly the reasons the shopkeepers have alluded too.”