PUBLIC opposition to planned increases in car parking charges continues to grow. Letters and e-mails are flooding into the Bolton Evening News offices backing our campaign to prevent charges on council run car parks from going up by seven per cent.

Retailers fear it will drive visitors away from Bolton town centre and into neighbouring towns and shopping complexes.

And many motorists agree.

Gillian Brockbank of Hope Fold Avenue, Atherton, Manchester, e-mailed to say: "Does Bolton Council want to drive potential customers away from the shops of Bolton? People will take one look at the cost of parking in Bolton for a few hours and will go elsewhere or go and park in side streets and therefore cause annoyance to the residents of the streets where they've parked."

And Anita Jones of Oakenbottom Road, Bradshaw, said: "Bolton town centre is becoming a ghost town with many businesses closing down or relocating to retail parks due to high council taxes and falling trade. If car parking charges are increased without a reasonably cheap and adequate public transport system this will sound the death knell for Bolton. Other nearby towns do not have high charges yet function well. Why?"

Bolton Evening News readers are being encouraged to fill in the campaign coupon printed in the paper and send it to our office to register their support for our campaign, or click on the link below to complete our online form.

To add your voice to our campaign, please complete the form by logging onto www.thisisbolton.co.uk/views/poll.html