BUSINESSES have reacted angrily to a parking price hike at the Marks & Spencer supermarket in Temple Fortune.

The cost of parking at the store, in Finchley Road, has been bumped up by the company's bosses, leaving shop owners in the area worried about a drop in footfall.

Under the new charges which came in on Monday, shoppers will have to pay £3 for the first hour, which had been free, and £2 more for an extra half hour.

Previously, drivers only had to pay £2 after the first hour's parking.

Lorretta Paterson, who owns Temptation gift shop in the parade, said: “It is effecting all the people around here and everyone has been complaining.

“It is upsetting a lot of people and I think Marks and Spencer have shot themselves in the foot over this.

“Parking is already difficult around here. Since the changes came in it has seemed emptier and fewer people are shopping around here.”

Customers can redeem the cost of parking, but only after spending £15 in store, which has been branded “blackmail” by some customers.

A Facebook group has been set up to protest against the changes in Temple Fortune, and residents who use the Mill Hill Broadway store have reacted with similar displeasure.

Ms Paterson said; “It just feels like they are trying to cash in on everybody.

“I understand they may have had to do something but if they kept the first hour free while people shop there it wouldn't affect us as much.”

A spokesman for M&S said the charges were part of a trial programme and would be reviewed taking customer feedback into account.

She added: “It's always our intention to ensure that we have parking spaces available for our customers - which is why we are trialling this approach.

“We appreciate that some customers have concerns about the trial. Their feedback is very important to us.”