Furious business-owners based on a High Wycombe shopping street were shocked to discover parking charges had more than doubled this week without any notice from the county council.

Shopkeepers on Desborough Road – which was plagued with roadworks for months – fear the price hike will continue to drive customers away from the street situated next to the Eden Centre.

Work started on the second phase of the Alternative Route along Desborough Road in September last year, which has since finished, sparking outrage amongst shopkeepers who say road closures meant business declined.

The on-street parking charge, enforced by Bucks County Council, on Desborough Road was 10p for 12 minutes, according to shopkeepers, however they discovered on Monday it had risen to 50p for 15 minutes.

Jaswin Sethi of High Wycombe Food and Wine criticised Bucks County Council for enforcing city parking prices in a county.

He said: “We are shopkeepers and we have no loading bays – where are we supposed to park?

“Every time we complain to the council they do not come up with a good reason. People are not going to want to come down here, we have already been losing customers.

“It will affect us – parking is now as high as city prices and people are not going to want to pay that. They will drive off.”

Work on High Wycombe’s Alternative Route began in Westbourne Street in 2015, moving onto Desborough Road last year to improve traffic flow on the street.

The network forms part of the High Wycombe Masterplan which aims to strengthen the town centre as a focus for jobs, shopping and leisure.

Steve Freemen, of M&H Freeman in Desborough Road, said business has been a struggle since the roadworks began – and increasing prices will inevitably kill custom.

He said: “I didn’t know nothing until this morning when I went out there and parked my car. When I put money in there it is usually 10p for 12 minutes so I put 40p in there and it told me it wasn’t enough money. That’s an increase of about 150 per cent.

“If they can’t get down the road the customers don’t come back. I have got some regulars that come in but a lot of people just go to places that are easier to get to.”

Bucks County Council defended the move, saying it has not increased its parking prices in over a decade and only 34 per cent of locations experienced a rise in on street parking prices.

However the council admitted there was a “delay” in issuing a notice detailing the changes which was not communicated to the pay and display machine suppliers, so the price hike was implemented before anyone was informed.

A spokesman said the machines were turned off in Desborough Road as soon as the blunder came to light and the tariffs were reversed to the original charges yesterday evening.

Rosemary Bryant, from Bucks County Council, said: “General national good practice is for parking tariffs to be the similar or higher on-street than in car parks to encourage motorists to park off-street.

“This policy is also designed to ensure a turnover of short stay spaces closest to shops and businesses where it is most desirable. In Desborough Road the current situation is a reverse where it is cheaper to park on street at 50p/hr than in the car parks at £1/hr. This results in the street parking bays being clogged with longer stay parking from local businesses and workers which means customers who want to nip into the shops find it difficult to find a space.”