COUNCIL bosses have bowed to pressure from angry business owners and have made changes to controversial on-street parking charges in Darlington town centre.

The borough council installed parking meters on several streets in the town centre last November.

Independent retailers were furious with the move and claimed meters could lead to a slump in trade.

Traders said they were also angry with the one-hour parking restriction.

They said it affected how much shoppers were able to do in the town centre and how many places they could visit within a restricted time.

Yesterday, the borough council said that, following discussions with the traders, it would be extending the maximum waiting time to two hours on five streets - Barnard Street, Beaumont Street, Duke Street, Grange Road and Winston Street. The cost of parking will remain 80p an hour, but drivers will now be able to park for two hours.

Campaigners against the charges said the move was too little, too late - and called on the council to scrap the policy.

Council leader John Williams said: "We hope the changes will benefit traders and shoppers."

The extended parking will be brought in by October if there are no objections.

Conservative group leader Tony Richmond accused the council of failing to publish a review of parking charges after six months, as it had pledged to.

"That is because on-street parking charges have proved to be a disaster for the economy," he said.

A borough council spokeswoman said a six-month review had not yet begun and would be published once it was completed.