PARKING regulations in Altrincham are failing to strike a chord with the owner of South City Music.

Adam Masters said he can't leave his car outside his Ashley Road shop for more than two hours and said he's lost sales and gained a string of parking tickets.

He said he's been forced to lock customers out of his premises and finding an alternative parking bay can be time consuming.

Adam said: "I've made £25 and there's a £25 ticket on the car. A five minute lock up to move my car can turn into 20 minutes because there are no other bays free. If I'm in the middle of a sale and I don't know the customer personally I then have to say do you mind if I lock you out for two minutes while I move my car? I don't want to do that because it doesn't give the right impression of my business.

"Mine is a unique shop, a well-respected shop now, and I constantly get penalised. I'm a small business, self-employed, my only member of staff does it voluntarily because money's so tight and the reward you get is a fistful of tickets. When you're a small business the wolves are at the door constantly."

He wants Trafford Council to introduce a permit for the town's business people allowing them to park outside their premises without restrictions. He said many of the most convenient locations are residents only.

A spokesman for Trafford Council said: "The council have provided support for the last five years to encourage people to trade in and visit town centres across the borough with low cost parking charges.

"The council’s developing Public Realm project for Altrincham includes a parking strategy that will bring together the needs of all users of Altrincham town centre to ensure businesses are supported in Altrincham and that new businesses are encouraged to invest in the area."