A BUSINESSMAN claims he has been banned from parking and working at York Science Park.

Until recently 54-year-old Peter Varey, ran two high-tech businesses out of one office at the science park in Heslington - PV Audiovisual and SEE-AV supplying state-of-the-art home entertainment systems.

Mr Varey has been at the park for more than two years. He employs three other people and says business is booming, but he has now been banned from going on site after September 4.

On August 28, he claims he forgot to display his parking permit in his £55,000 Audi sports car and returned to find it had been clamped.

His response was to go to his home in nearby Heslington to get a spare wheel and set about removing the clamped wheel - but a row followed with the park's parking staff and he now claims he has been banned from the site.

The science park says Mr Varey has been told to leave, because he has refused to sign a new licence agreement - a sort of tenancy agreement, between the businesses and the park.

Mr Varey said: "We have been asked to leave by the end of September and I have been told by letter that if I come on the premises now I will be treated as a trespasser.

"They are basically saying I can't run my own business and I am furious with them. I have been at the science park for just over two years.

"The permit was in my car I just forgot to display it, so on that day I was unlucky, but in the past two months we have had to endure two thirds of the car park being out of action because building work has been going on with pile driving right outside our offices - part of the reason I've not signed my licence agreement.

"We are so busy at the moment and I have got to find a new office at a time when I can ill-afford it and keep running my business at the same time. This could cost me tens of thousands of pounds."

Mr Varey said he is now thinking about writing to the leader of City of York Council, Coun Steve Galloway, and York MP Hugh Bayley, to complain about his treatment.

A University of York spokesman said: "Since March, Mr Varey has ignored repeated requests - both written and verbal - to renew his tenancy licence in accordance with the Innovations Centre letting policy. This is the principal reason for the company's issuing notice to him to vacate the premises.

"The issue was compounded by Mr Varey's behaviour after his vehicle was clamped for being parked in breach of the parking regulations.

"His behaviour towards university security staff who attended to deal with the situation was unacceptable."