BUSINESSES in Moreton are stepping up their efforts to ease the town's parking problems after a survey showed that scores of cars are left in the town all day every day.

Moreton Business Association carried out the survey after a public meeting last month revealed growing concerns among businesses over the parking situation.

The results show that 189 full-time and 71 part-time business owners and staff travel to Moreton and park in the centre.

Only 46 of the cars are in private off-street car parks and 178 are left all day in streets and public car parks.

Traders fear that there will be so many parking spaces taken by these vehicles that shoppers will not be able to park and will take their business elsewhere.

The situation has come to a head after charges were imposed on the railway station car park, forcing many commuters to use the town centre to avoid the charges.

Cotswold District Council is looking at charging at the Old Market Way car park and several spaces could also be lost under town council plans for double yellow lines at the northern end of the High Street service road.

Business association chairman Rob Dewberry said: "We are hoping we can persuade the local councils of the need to work together to get something done."

One option is a new edge-of-town car park and 39 of the businesses surveyed said they would be willing to make staff use this as a policy, taking 95 cars out of the town centre.

Another nine, representing 62 cars, said they would consider this if the car park's location was right.