A garage owner fears the introduction of parking permits on the road outside could force him to close his business.

John Osbourne, boss of S&S Vehicles in Tudor Road in Cheriton, Folkestone, says customers will now have nowhere to leave their vehicles.

But Folkestone & Hythe District Council (FHDC) says the permits were brought in following a petition signed by 75% of households in the street.

Residents said they were unable to park their own cars - and emergency vehicles and bin lorries had been blocked from accessing houses.

Mr Osbourne, who has owned the garage for the past nine years, told KentOnline they are “very busy” and carry out at least eight MOT tests a day.

“Our customers like to drop the vehicles off before work and then collect them after,” he said. “How am I now going to provide any kind of service when there is nowhere to park their vehicles?

“The garage has been here a long time, and over the years, we have accumulated a huge number of regulars who come back to us year after year.

“Customers won’t want to walk miles to pick up their car if we have to park them on neighbouring roads.”

Mr Osbourne says the garage has already faced rising utility bills in the last few years - and the additional cost for parking vehicles means they could “potentially close”.

“It just feels like we’ve been totally ignored, and if we have to pay even more for permits, it could kill our business,” he said.

The scheme was set to come into force on April 21, requiring permits - costing residents £45 a year -on Tudor Road from 8am to 8pm daily.

However, signage was removed, which the council has reported to police. The signs were set to be replaced last week.

A council spokesperson said the scheme was introduced in response to residents’ demands.

“In a petition, 27 of the 36 properties in Tudor Road called for parking controls to be introduced,” they said.

“In other controlled parking zone areas with garages, we have issued a couple of non-vehicle-specific business permits that the garage owner can display on cars awaiting collection.”

FHDC has been asked to clarify the cost of the non-vehicle-specific business permits available to Mr Osbourne.

A business on-street permit, which is linked to specific registration, is priced at £90.