Traders are "making a stand" after being battered by soaring parking charges putting off shoppers.

At the start of this month, 17 car parks in Southampton stopped offering two hours’ free parking, including Peartree Gardens Car Park in Bitterne.

Motorists are now being charged 50p if they choose to park there for an hour and £1 for two.

But now a group of traders in Bitterne have launched a petition -"Hands off our car parks" that has received over 1,400 signatures.

They are protesting the charge which they say is hurting trader.

READ MORE: Free car parking in Southampton scrapped

The petition was organised by the Card Gallery owner's Kerry Allen and Colin Simpson.

Kerry said: "It is just making a stand. We are not giving in to it.

"People who have put 50p on the meter are rushing around saying they don't have time to look in the shops.

"It is so short-sighted. People are worried there are not going to be any shops here."

Colin added: "We have seen a drop in footfall over just the past week.

"People just don't want to pay."

Some staff working in the shops now say they have to pay £6 a day just to park.

Stacey's Shack is run by Carol Crowder. She said: "We have lost a few customers who say it is ridiculous.

"It is a double whammy for business owners, you have to pay more to park and customers aren't coming in."

Paul Watts owns two shops on Bitterne Road: Dahlers Jewellers and County Locksmiths.

He said: "I think they should be supporting smaller businesses and keep at least a small period of free parking to let us compete with the big out-of-town places that do have free parking."

READ MORE: Bitterne businesses fear car park sale could be 'final blow'

The new charge for the car park is 50p for one hour, £1 for two hours, £1.50 for three hours, £2.50 for four hours, £4 for five hours, and £6 for 12 hours.

In a previous statement, Cllr Eamonn Keogh, cabinet member for transport, said: “The changes to the parking tariffs and new charging period will support the operation and maintenance of the sites, including pothole repairs and relining of bays, whilst also seeking to manage demand for the car parks.

“Over the next few months, we will be monitoring usage and footfall at our district centres to see if they are significantly affected by the new tariffs, and if there is such an impact, the tariffs will be reviewed”.

The petition will be submitted to the city council once it has 1,500 signatures.