The manager of a Maidstone furniture shop has hit out at the town’s lack of business parking after being hit with thousands of pounds worth of fines.

Lindon Dirmauskas, the UK sales manager for High Street’s Fortis Furniture, says his delivery van is ticketed nearly every day while staff unload it in the designated bay outside his store.

But Maidstone Borough Council claims wardens, working for contractor ACPOA Parking, have observed the vehicle for lengthy periods while no loading was taking place.

Mr Dirmauskas denies this, saying the reason staff take a long time to unload is because they remove all packaging in the shop and put it back in the van to avoid any inadvertent littering.

In an effort to avoid the £70 fines the 23-year-old parked the van in a pay and display car park, but due to its size was fined because it was out of the bay.

“We pay business rates of £1,300 a month and generate a lot of income for the town.

“This would not bother me so much if they were nice or not as cowardly – they don’t even come in the shop to check if we’re using the bay. Even when I pay for a ticket I get fined, so what can I do?

“I’d be happy to pay £50 a month for a space in a designated business-only car park.”

Unlike many shops in the street Fortis does not have its own loading bay and therefore alternatives are few and far between.

"Even when I pay for a ticket I get fined, so what can I do?" - Lindon Dirmauskas, sales manager for Fortis Furniture

Mr Dirmauskas, who hopes to open a new store in Tunbridge Wells, feels a business car park is the only option and thinks many traders in the town will agree.

A Maidstone council spokesman said: “Any PCN issued may be challenged using the appropriate legal process, which may include a review of the case by an independent adjudicator.

“Current arrangements are considered to be adequate to deal with the demands placed on the highway and so a business-only car park is not a consideration at present.”