BUSINESSES in Malpas Road are saying double yellow lines outside their premises are damaging their trade.

The group of store owners from the bottom end of Malpas Road, by Goodrich Crescent and Redland Street, Newport, claim the double yellow lines in Goodrich Crescent have been extended in the past two and a half years, losing up to five parking spaces.

Newport City Council has said it has recently resurfaced parts of Malpas Road and has reinstated all the existing road markings, with no new restrictions or loss of parking spaces.

Daniel Webb, of Spartan Motor Parts, says the parking problems have driven them out of the area, forcing them to re-locate from 35 Malpas Road to 3C1 Albany Industrial Estate just before Christmas.

He said: “Newport City Council are saying they want to help small businesses, but they are driving us out.

“We were in Malpas Road for five years. It was an ideal spot because it was so close to the motorway. Some people do know we have moved but we have lost a lot of customers, I think.

“The first time the yellow lines were extended was two and a half years ago, the last time was about 10 months ago. We have lost three spaces in one side of Goodrich Crescent and two in the other.”

Mr Webb said that some of his customers were having to walk from the Aldi and that some others had been fined.

“It is not good at all, it was always full around here,” he said. “We just had to ignore the yellow lines.

“I have three vans and used to park them in the pavement outside the shop as long as it was only for five minutes for loading or unloading.”

Sue Wakeham, who has run a hairdresser in Malpas Road for 17 years, Hairs & Graces, said: “Parking is getting worse around here, we get people saying it has taken them 10 minutes to park.

“I can’t really say we are losing customers though as a lot of my customers are local or get dropped off.

“But I know that other businesses are finding it very hard. We are trying to make a living.”

Ricky Gilchrist, of the Phonebox, a mobile phone repair shop in Malpas Road, said parking is affecting their business.

“The problem is that business owner’s park by their stores, meaning customers can’t park. I walk to work so that people can park around here,” he said.

A Newport council spokeswoman said: “Newport City Council has recently resurfaced parts of Malpas Road and has reinstated all the existing road markings.

“There are no new restrictions and all the double yellow lines that have been replaced are as per the original traffic regulation order.

“There is no loss of parking spaces.

“In Redland Street there have always been double yellow lines near the junction of Malpas Road, but it has often been subject to illegal parking in the past.

“The refreshing of the double yellow lines will hopefully encourage drivers to park responsibly in this area.”