Shopkeepers have demanded free parking all year round after an offer was brought in to boost Christmas trade.

Traders in High Road, East Finchley have been calling for half an hour free parking on the street for several years, but say they their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

But when Barnet Borough Council brought in free parking at weekends in the run up to Christmas for the fourth year running, angry shopkeepers said they were not even told.

Now traders say that if the council can afford to waive charges all day on weekends before Christmas, it should be able to offer 30 minutes all year round.

Their protest was prompted by 'Small Business Saturday’. Furious shop owners say if they had known of the exemption, they would have been able to advertise it.

Atif Mahmood, who opened Passobello Carpets in February, says trade in East Finchley is often bad.

He said: “I was furious that nobody told me parking is free until Christmas. The fact that they’ve done this proves it’s not hard to do, and they could make parking free if they really wanted to.

“It’s silly. The council is being greedy. We need something to entice our customers and bring them to the area but they see restricted parking zones and it pushes them away.

“I love this area but it’s not business friendly. I feel as though I am being pushed away and that I am a nuisance or a hindrance when I am just trying to help the economy. It’s shocking.”

Mr Mahmood says he struggles to find somewhere to park before work, as a business permit can cost between £525 and £840 a year.

Although residential streets nearby are only restricted between 2pm and 3pm, Mr Mahmood says this is not enough.

He added: “It’s cheaper to move my car between 2pm and 3pm and just pay for it, but that means closing the shop and I lose customers that way.”

Pay-by-coin cash meters were removed from streets in Barnet in 2010, forcing people to use their bank cards or pay for their parking by phone.

Sue Tollerfield, who owns gift shop The Cherry Tree with business partner Haylee Millar, collected 800 signatures calling for cash meters to be brought back in 2010 – but this was rejected.

She said: “We’ve been asking for half an hour free parking for years. The fact that they’ve introduced free parking just before Christmas but not at any other time shows how inconsistent they are.

“Nobody told us about free parking – how hard is it to pick up a phone and just inform the traders who work so hard to boost the economy? It would have been good to know, especially for Small Business Saturday.

“Obviously we are grateful for what we’ve been given but we need more. It’s so hard for us to compete with places like Brent Cross when they’ve got free parking.”

Pete Barnett, who owns Scotts Fishmongers, said: “We’ve been nagging the council for half an hour of free parking a years.

“My biggest gripe is that they keep banging on about rejuvenating the high street and free Christmas parking is all well and good, but what about other times of the year?”

Sarah Sackman, Labour's parliamentary candidate for Finchley and Golders Green, said: "Labour called on the council to bring in 30 minutes free parking in our High Streets, every day, all year round, but the Tories voted to block the idea.

"It would help our local shops and it would be easy to understand."

A statement from Barnet Borough Council said: "Final approval for free Christmas parking was made on December 2 at the Policy and Resources Committee.

"The council published the information via social media immediately and on the council’s website and via social media the following morning. Free parking features prominently in Barnet First, which is going out this week, and on poster sites around the borough.

“Immediately following the committee decision began signs at pay and display locations, both on-street and incar parks indicating the free parking at weekends.  

“The council recently consulted on a parking policy and a sizeable majority of residents supported the policy that we structure pricing to create 85 per cent occupancy of bays. This will give high streets have a constant regular turnover of places.”

Environment committee chairman Councillor Dean Cohen said: "

“It’s unfortunate that the way the dates worked out, it didn’t give us much wriggle room as it wasn’t decided at committee until December 2.

“We have agreed free Christmas parking for three more years.

“The free parking all year round is a separate issue. I have actually met with traders in East Finchley to discuss and address their concerns, for instance, with parking metres.”