SHOPKEEPERS are fighting a supermarket over thousands of pounds of parking fines which they claim are illegal and killing trade in Hanwell.

A pub landlord has received £15,000 of fines since parking regulations in Lidl's car park off the Uxbridge Road, were changed in July.

The new rules allow just 90 minutes to park in the car park, half the amount agreed with the former owners of the site.

A number plate recognition system records vehicle details and times how long the cars are parked, issuing tickets to people who are even just one minute over time, and operates 24 hours a day.

Mary Gill, who runs Class Designs, said: "The owners are not working with the community here as people are afraid to go and park there, I have heard they are even ticketing their own staff.

"Under the Section 106 agreement, the minimum parking time during the day was three hours, and traders in the area used to be able to get parking permits for the store.

"Ninety minutes is not enough time to come and do some shopping at the local stores and then go and do a shop in Lidl."

The original planning agreement states that long-stay and commuter parking should be discouraged but "at least 30 of the customer car parking spaces shall be kept open and designated for use by members of the public when all the retail units are closed".

Public toilets built under the terms of the planning permission are kept locked by the store.

Sean Conway, who runs Lavins Irish Bar opposite the store, has received fines in excess of £15,000 since the changes were introduced, many of them issued when he left the car park in the early hours of the morning.

He said: "They keep the toilets locked because of the number of drunks and drug users they attract, but their customers come and use my loos and I don't charge them £45 a time.

"It's really wrong what they are doing, but people are afraid because they threaten to come and get the money from you, so a lot pay." If unpaid within 14 days, the ticket charge rises to £90.

David Ioannides, who runs the Rendezvous cafe and has owned a business in Hanwell for the past 35 years, has received 25 tickets from the parking company.

He said: "I got the first parking ticket through the door, and then the next week a whole load more came through. "You can be there at 2am when there is no one else around and still be given a ticket. It is putting people off coming into Hanwell to shop."

A statement from Lidl said: "As Lidl has been trading at the Hanwell site for more than eight years, the company has experienced issues with people taking advantage of the free car parking.

"A parking duration of one hour 30 minutes is permitted for all the local community including those that visit our store and is applicable 24/7. "The issuing of fines is in place to act as a deterrent against those who would abuse this facility by parking in it all day. "The impact of not having such a car park management system is that the local community will be less likely to make use of this free facility while it is being abused."

Ealing Council has promised a full investigation and has appealed for anyone with concerns to contact its planning department.