The future of a parking agreement to help suffering traders cope with the arrival of a huge supermarket has been thrown into doubt.

Shoppers using the Tesco car park off Church Road, Hove, can park for free if they spend £5 in the new flagship superstore and are allowed to leave their cars and shop elsewhere.

This measure was demanded by angry traders when the store opened with plans to charge £5 for a 90-minute stay in their car park, £25 for more than 90 minutes and £50 for three hours.

But The Argus can reveal the agreement is not permanent, as had been thought by many traders.

And Tesco has threatened to enforce stricter parking regulations and charges at any time.

Shopkeepers, especially in nearby George Street, had said the original pay scale made a mockery of claims the new store would benefit the area by drawing in new shoppers.

Relations between Tesco and traders had been good, with store bosses extending the time customers could park after spending £5 from two hours to three.

Confusion emerged when Paul French, of Varndean Gardens, Brighton, wrote to Tesco when his wife Catherine complained about her treatment after asking a male member of staff if she could leave her car briefly.

Mr French, 55, said: "She was told this was not permitted and would be asked to remove her car if seen."

When Mr French asked for clarification, customer service manager Linda Kelly wrote to say: "I can confirm the time limit set on this car park relates to customers shopping at our store and we allow up to two hours' free parking for this purpose.

"Should your wife be seen to leave the store and car park to shop elsewhere, there is a likelihood of her receiving a parking ticket."

A Tesco spokeswoman could not guarantee the car park would remain freely available for people wanting to shop somewhere else.

Darren Hunter, store manager, said: "For this period, customers can have three hours free if they spend £5 in Tesco. We don't monitor where people go after that."

Keith Bryden, chairman of Hove Business Association, called for better clarification of the rules.

Wednesday December 17, 2003