Worried business owners have been left fearing for their future after seeing customer numbers plummet following a hike in car parking fees.

They claim the footfall in Rainham Shopping Centre dropped almost overnight since the new charges were brought in by Medway Council last month.

The unitary authority decided to increase its pay and display costs for on and off-street parking by 60p for all periods at its annual budget meeting in February.

This means it now costs £1.30 for a 30-minute stay, £1.80 for an hour, £2.30 for two hours, £3.30 for four hours, £4.30 for six hours and £6 for more than that.

It is expected to make the council an extra £1 million over the next year as it attempts to balance the books.

Although traders understand the need to claw back money, they believe the new charges are acting as a deterrent for motorists to visit Rainham.

It comes after the high street saw a 93% rise in footfall from 2019, before the pandemic, to 2022 - a trend which was seen across the county.

At the time, Kent businesses said people moving from London and working from home had provided a boost for trade.

Jo James, chief executive of the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, even believed we were starting to see signs of a revival of the local high street after years of decline.

However, it does not seem to have lasted long for Rainham with owner of Ascot Flowers, in Rainham, Caroline Cobb claiming she has never seen the town so quiet.

She said: “It has hit this little high street so drastically. This is not the Rainham Shopping Centre I know. The footfall has just dropped overnight.

“It is horrendous, we have never seen it like this.”

Caroline, who took over the florist eight years ago, said wedding and funeral orders are not enough and relies on the footfall to keep the shop going.

”I am worried,” she added. “We do not want to see Rainham turn into a ghost town.

“It feels like its soul is going. You used to struggle to get a space but now the car park is empty.

“We know shopping trends have changed and it is more convenient to order online but we have adapted and have online services now too.

“However, this is worrying. It has been a vibrant town for years and we need people to return.”

Florist Alison Tindall, who has worked at the shop since 1996, added: “We put everything into this place. We love it and have served the community for nearly 40 years.”

Cafe worker Teresa, who did not wish to give her surname, from TickTocks, said their takings have dropped by more than a third ever since the parking charges changed.

“The footfall just dropped immediately,” she added. “People are not going to pay when they can go to Hempstead Valley and park for free.

“The parking was always expensive and now it has gone up, we cannot compete with them.

“When B&M opened it brought a bit of life back. For those two weeks afterwards, it was lovely, it was packed in here but it has now gone.

“We have had customers come in talking about the extortionate way it went up.

“There are ways to make money that do not affect the shopping centre.

“They need to do something rather than leave it as it is.”

Neighbouring eatery, Centre Cafe, has also noticed a custom drop and said many of its regulars have not been coming in as often as they once did.

Manager Erkan Gonul claims this is due to the increase in parking fees.

He added: “It has gone quiet over the last few weeks.

“B&M had a good impact when that opened but now the car park has risen, it is not as full as normal.

“People want a nice day out but do not want to pay £3.30 for four hours. It is impacting the business, it does hurt.

“We have constant bills to pay and we are losing customers. We understand there are ups and downs but we cannot continue relying on weekends.

“We are really concerned for the long-term. Everything is expensive and we need good days to cover the bad.

“They could have a few hours free just to help us and bring people back.

“If they can do something we would be really appreciative.”

The shopkeepers have also suggested Medway Council could reintroduce free parking on Monday or have an hour of free parking after a specific time each day.

Nearby centres such as Tywdall, Parkwood Green and Hempstead Valley offer motorists free parking and many think people prefer to drive a little further than pay the fees.

Owner of The Pet Shop, Liz Brobyn-Ross, said: “I understand things have got to go up but it is not proportionate when you have other shopping centres nearby that are free.

“There needs to be something to support small businesses.

“If this centre is not here what is Rainham? It will lose its personality and community.”

Bradley Moore, from Hales and Moore Fishmongers in Station Road, added: “Rainham is a nice little town but we are punishing the people who are trying to come here with the charges.

“It seems a ridiculous thing to do when we are trying to encourage people to come into the town.”

Medway Council’s portfolio holder for economic and social regeneration and inward investment, Cllr Lauren Edwards, said “difficult decisions” had to be made when the authority set its budget earlier this year, including increasing the parking charges.

She added: “We are committed to supporting small businesses across Medway and recently awarded £12,500 in shared prosperity funding to Rainham's Town Centre Forum to improve the shopping precinct and held a spring event during the school holidays which was hugely successful and brought more people to the town centre.”