GUESTS staying in bed and breakfast accommodation at York's Bar Convent have confirmed some of the nuns' worst fears about the impact of evening parking charges.

Visitors have been rushing to sign the Evening Press' Stop The Highway Robbery petition, with a number of regular visitors telling staff that the extra bill for parking overnight at the Nunnery Lane car park may deter them from coming back next year.

Gerald Gallagher, from Glasgow, who comes to York with friends each year on a golfing holiday, said the charges meant a significant increase in the cost of their holiday.

"They are a punitive tax on people who are already making a sizeable contribution to the York economy," he said.

"Due to the increased cost of our trip this year, we will be considering alternative destinations for next year, which is a pity as we enjoy our annual trips to York."

He said that if York valued itself as a welcoming tourist destination, rather than a "money-grabbing, rip-off place," the charges should be removed.

Mrs S Jameson, from Wakefield, said she found the charges both expensive and confusing. "The system definitely needs reviewing," she said.

"It makes you think twice about coming to York."

R C Bowtell, of Farnham, Surrey, claimed that "horrendous" car parking fees of £70 per week added 15-20 per cent to the cost of affordable accommodation.

"Evening charges make visitors think twice about attending evening activities and dining out. Does the local authority wish to deter visitors without re-erecting the city gates?"

Bernadette Oliver, the convent's business manager, who warned earlier this year that the charges could hit the B&B business hard, said the guests' comments were "quite worrying". She said: "This does not bode well for next year's business."

Coun Ann Reid, City of York Council's executive member for planning and transport, said the ongoing review of parking charges would take into account the views of such people from outside York, as well as residents.

She said the council's own figures showed that, even though the controversy had mostly been about evening parking charges, numbers were holding up in the evenings, and it was daytime parking numbers that were suffering more.

The review would look at the whole issue holistically, including problems of confusion over the amounts charged, she added.

Updated: 11:54 Tuesday, August 17, 2004