A TRAFFIC shake-up in Stockton's town centre could have an adverse effect on business, according to traders.

Following public consultation, Stockton Borough Council cabinet last week approved an 18-month trial plan to restrict vehicle access to the High Street from July.

The plan will allow buses and cyclists to use the central section of the High Street between two bus turning loops, from 9.30am to 4.30pm every day. Taxis and vehicles requiring access will be allowed in the loops.

The council said the new rules will be easier to enforce than previous schemes, but traders have claimed they will restrict deliveries and cause confusion.

Denis Blunt, who owns a shoe repair business in the Shambles centre, said: "When I first came to the Shambles nearly a quarter of a century ago there were 16 successful businesses in the building. There are now only seven, and some of them are struggling."

He blamed the downturn on the pedestrianisation of the High Street, which began in 1995, and forecast more misery for business with the latest traffic restrictions which, he said, would drive more traders away.

Existing access permits and arrangements will soon be withdrawn and the junctions of High Street with Ramsgate and Silver Street closed.

Before the scheme was approved the council sought the views of market traders, bus operators and permit holders. Of 171 replies, 87 were against the plan.