London Road traders say the use of council advertising space to promote a rival Brighton shopping area on their street is like a “poke in the eye with a sharp stick”.

Shop owners are angry that council advertising space has been used to promote rival shopping area Churchill Square.

The banners, hanging from lampposts in London Road, tell shoppers that if they are missing something they should go to Churchill Square.

Traders say the adverts are a “kick in the teeth” and add to their sense of frustration with the council’s treatment of local businesses following a controversial rise in parking charges in the area.

They say footfall has declined significantly since new on-street charges of £3.50 an hour were introduced in April.

Clare Cannadine, the owner of Cannadine’s Carpets in London Road, said the adverts were adding “insult to injury”.

She said: “We hear from the council that they are trying to support small businesses but when they are advertising big business instead of us it doesn’t feel like they are supporting us at all.

“London Road needs all the support it can get.”

Mrs Cannadine added that she had been increasingly forced to revert her business to its original home delivery service because new parking prices were deterring visitors from her shop.

She said: “We started as a home call business but then we had our shop but since the parking increases we have had to go to our customers and drive around more.

“Quite a few customers don’t know where to park anymore and are not willing to pay £3.50 for an hour’s parking.”

Julian Chapman, the manager of Audio T, which has been in London Road since 1980, said: “It’s like being poked in the eye with a sharp stick.

“Why don’t they put some signs outside Churchill Square saying ‘Don’t forget about London Road which has some of the best and most affordable independent shops in the city’?

“All our customers complain about the parking prices.”

A Brighton and Hove City Council spokeswoman said: “It’s an external company that we contract our advertising out to and they decide which companies advertise.

“It’s not the council that decides who advertises on the banners.”