A County Durham business owner has been left fearing for her future as council-enforced parking charges along the seafront continue to take a toll on trade.

The question of longevity and how her business will survive is at the forefront of Debbie Turner's mind, who owns Mr Jacob's Sweet Emporium at Seaham Marina just under two months after Durham County Council introduced parking charges.

Six car parks along the coastline have since April 15 seen motorists pay £1 per hour or £3 all day to park up to bring the area "in line" with others in the region - but businesses say it's had a huge impact on trade.

“There are several business owners down here and each one of us has seen a drop of about 40% in takings since the parking charges have come in. Some days, we are taking less than £20,” Debbie explained.

“It is not enough to cover staff, and it’s the same on the weekend. Footfall had dropped, and cars parked up mainly belonged to staff.

“We talk to customers and many are actually boycotting Seaham because of the parking charges. They are going elsewhere and we are just banging our heads against the wall.

“It has come to the point now where I am in my eighth week of making a loss – I just have to call it a day. How much longer do I take?

“It’s not fair on me and it’s not fair on my staff who keep asking me if they need to find another job. It’s just awful.”

Whilst Debbie is concerned for her business, she is also concerned about the impact it could have on local people who are employed in other stores at the harbour.

Debbie added: “We employ people from Seaham – and this is the other thing. How many jobs will go because of this?

“It is a big enough fight getting customers with the cost of living crisis, and now they do this to us.”

As Debbie reaches a crossroads, she admitted she has begun the process of signing her notice to leave.

She said: “We have our letter written to hand our notice in. It’s ready, it’s printed out. We just have to sign it. We feel that strongly about this. How much longer can we do this?”

Earlier this month, a Freedom of Information request stated that machines in place at six car parks where charges have been introduced (Seaham Hall Beach, Vane Tempest, Seaham Marina, Dock Top, Noses Point) generated £32,224.40.

Other machines for 32 bays on North Road gathered £1,460.85.

259 parking fines were then issued by wardens, meaning that if this, at a minimum, equates to £50 per fine this adds up to around £12,000.

However, the council has since confirmed that motorists' charges are reinvested into maintenance.

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A Durham County Council spokesperson said: “We are sorry to hear this business is having difficulties but it would be inappropriate for us to comment further on an individual tenancy.

“The charges of £1 for an hour and £3 for all day are limited to seven locations in Seaham with free parking still widely available at other sites around the town centre. All of these are a short distance from the sea front and marina.”