A CAFE owner is angry after customers were given fines for parking outside her business.

Sharon Worsley, from the Go Dutch cafe on Vernon Street was concerned as two visitors to her cafe were handed £30 fines for parking outside the business.

Mrs Worsley has run the eatery for three and a half years and she has been told that customers could use the parking bays outside and get an hour’s free parking if they displayed a sign that they were visiting the local shops.

She said: “Mr and Mrs Walsh regularly park on the bays and eat here.

“They were very upset when we had a fine put on the windscreen. I have told him to appeal and then I heard on Thursday morning that another customer got one.

“I was told by one of the parking wardens that they would be doing it from now but surely we should be getting some sort of notification.

“If we start telling our customers that they cannot park for free then they will just get in their car and drive away and they will not come back.

“They have let people park here and get an hour without tickets before but this is our livelihood.”

Terry Wilson, director of neighbouring Dexters Decorating Supplies, said: “We have been here for 30 years and have not had problems with people parking outside.

"Some customers who were shopping used to go to the pay and display and press the green button and get it for free for an hour.

“But some people took advantage and we were told to use the signs and put them on display.

“Our customers can park up for10 minutes for loading and unloading but with our business they need more than 10 minutes to choose paint or other things.

“It is annoying that one of my customers got a fine.

“It is going to affect business if people cannot park here.”

A spokesman for Blackburn with Darwen Council said: “On the 9th May 2011 a new Traffic regulation was done by Traffic to remove the 1 hr free parking from a variety of Street of which Vernon St was one.

“Ever since this date the P&D machines which are situated on Vernon St have displayed the parking tariff as per the order.

“It should be noted that the change of TRO was not just for Vernon St but also for Chapel St, France St, Heaton St, Paradise lane, Princes St, Clayton St, Mill Lane, St Peters St, Tattersall St and Weir St. All of these routes we also enforce.

“Parking Services are only enforcing the parking restrictions as per the Traffic Regulation Order and as per the signage on site, and this street has been identified as an area which did not have regular enforcement. We are re-looking at all of these areas and where possible getting them back on enforcement routes.”