A BAND of five Rhuddlan businesses are taking parking issues into their own hands for the benefit of High Street shoppers.

High Street businesses Java Square Cafe Bistro, Rejuva, The Little Cheesemonger, Blooming Gorgeous Floristry and the Farmhouse Kitchen are piloting a scheme this summer offering discounts to customers who have used pay and display machines on Parliament Street.

Customers who take a photo of their pay and display ticket - before they put it in their car - along with a with their driving licence will be eligible for discounts in each of the five shops.

Leading the scheme is Jackie Burnham, a former town councillor and owner of Rejuva and Java Square, who said: “Customers often complain about the difficulty they have parking in Rhuddlan, there are never any spaces on the High Street, which is limited to an hour, and they don’t want to pay to park if they’re just popping in to one of the shops.”

“I'm often told that a customer saw something they wanted in the window but they didn’t stop in because of the parking situation.

"Each of the businesses agree that we want to, in whatever way we can, give customers money back if they have to pay for parking.

"An example would be Java Square customers can get a £1 voucher when they spend £10 or more on a meal, but as each of the businesses is different and has different types of sales, its up to each of us to decide what we offer.

“Our aim is to get more people shopping on the High Street, so any expenses to the businesses should be negligible."

The scheme, which is being supported by the town mayor cllr Arwel Roberts and Rhuddlan Town Council, has been developed in a similar vein to discounts offered by supermarkets such as Morrisons that deduct pay and display charges from shopping bills.

The group is currently seeking other businesses in the town to join the scheme, and is hoping that if it is successful, Denbighshire County Council may help introduce it across the county.

It is also hoped success of the scheme will encourage wider reform of charging for parking in the town, and throughout Denbighshire.

Mrs Burnham added: "What we really need is for the council to guarantee either free parking, or at least two hours free, in all pay an display car parks to help more people shop locally and support small businesses.

"The council needs to show that they are supporting small businesses more than they already do and I encourage small shop owners in every town across the county to contact their town councils and the county council to help drive this forward."

Denbighshire County Council has been approached for comment.