A frustrated chip shop owner says he has been left with no choice but to stay shut on Sundays - as his customers can no longer park in a layby outside.

The stopping area along Faversham Road, in Kennington, Ashford, can now only be used by buses.

The layby was previously shared by buses and customers wanting to use Savers Newsagents, Marino’s Fish Bar, Hall Hair and Ashford Dry Cleaners. But now thick yellow lines stop drivers from parking up.

The restrictions were introduced last January following a request by bus operator Stagecoach but Orthy Karios, owner of Marino's, says footfall has been dropping ever since.

"The closure has impacted our trade most profoundly on Sundays," he explained.

"Sunday is a relaxed day, and if people are going to be scared to park there in case they get a ticket, they’re not going to come here. So slowly over the whole year it has been getting worse.

"The last few months haven’t been going well on Sundays and we have probably had about 100 customers get tickets this last year. These customers are never going to come back here so we are now closed on Sundays until further notice.

"There are fewer buses running on Sundays, yet still people can’t park there which seems really pointless.

"Why does the layby need to be closed on Sundays as well?"

Customers are able to use a free designated car park at the rear of the shops, but Mr Karios says the spaces are often filled by residents who live in nearby flats - and there is no disability access.

"There is no safe way for anyone to come down those steps if they are old or disabled," he added.

"I’m not going to stop trying to get this sorted out.

"I'm going to try any means possible because this is my livelihood.

"The deeds show when these shops were built, the layby was there for us, the bus stop came later.

"In one day, someone from Kent County Council (KCC) made a decision to close the layby that businesses have been built on for 45 years."

The four businesses are calling for KCC to try and find another solution by possibly moving the bus stop elsewhere.

Following the closure of the layby, Bella Patel, owner of Savers Newsagent, opened up the limited car parking spaces on the slope outside her shop for her customers only.

While it has helped her with footfall, she is still hoping the layby will reopen for the other businesses.

"For my customers, I put down two of the bollards so they can park in front of the shop," she said.

"I was going to put the third one down but I can’t because someone reversed into it and it is going to cost £600 to get repaired.

"My customers can park there now so we don’t have as much of a problem, but it's still an issue for the chip shop, the hairdressers and the dry cleaners.

"People just aren’t parking at the back.

"Whatever happens, I don’t think we will get the layby back now - it has been over a year.

"It will be a miracle if it does reopen."

In a statement, a KCC spokesman said all options have been explored.

“The request to formally mark and sign a clearway in Faversham Road was received from the local bus operator in 2021," he said.

“It follows consistent problems with accessing the bus stop due to parked cars regularly forcing buses to stop in the live traffic lane.

“As well as the obvious safety risks, this could cause issues for people with visual or mobility impairments.

“Before formalising the markings, officers investigated several options in which both public transport vehicles and private cars can be accommodated.

"However, the site is constrained by two side road junctions, and it is not possible to cater for both user types within the short road space available without compromise to road safety.

“It is important to note this area was always designated as a bus stop and never as a place for vehicles to park.”

On the other side of Ashford, the Marino's fish shop in Beaver Road will still be open Monday to Sunday as usual.