Part time shop workers in Falmouth could be left with nowhere to leave their cars if plans for residents' parking come into effect, a resident has warned.

Proposals to introduce parking zones in streets around the town will mean shop staff, many of whom rely on parking in the streets after residents have left for the day, could be forced into town centre car parks or have to pay for their own permits.

Michael Hitchcock, who for many years ran family business Al Best and Son on Church Street, lives in Grovehill Avenue where workers park every day, and said he is concerned the plans could force people to give up their jobs.

He said every day he walks into town at around 9am, and sees roughly 40 or 50 spaces where residents have already driven away to work, and by the time he returns at around 10.30am they are mostly full of cars belonging to part time workers.

He said: "When residents come home from work those spaces are available again. In the middle of the summer you will find that some of those spaces are taken up by visitors, but again they are gone by 4pm so residents can come and park.

"If they put those zones and permits - which of course is making money for the council - this doesn't allow for all those part time workers to park anywhere.

"Which is serious because they might have to give up their jobs and possibly leave shops with a position which is difficult to fill."

He added: "These part time workers have been a vital commodity to the shops for 100 years, and Cornwall Council are trying to destroy that in order to get some extra cash."

Mr Hitchcock has also said that he doesn't think a cut price parking fee for shop workers will solve the problem, as "they can't afford even a half price ticket."

Richard Wilcox, Falmouth Business Improvement District (BID) manager said the town had already discussed the plans with Cornwall Council, with concerns raised by Mr Hitchcock "and about 5,000 others."

He said: "There has been a number of meetings and discussions on this matter, we have all -from a town perspective - been very busy. We have sent a delegation to meet the senior team at Cornwall Council.

"Everyone is putting an immense amount of pressure on Cornwall Council to not bring this scheme in."

Ron Johns owns the Falmouth Bookseller and employs nine people there, five of whom drive to work each day and "park wherever they can." Previously he had a parking bay but he said he was "driven out" by the £800 a year cost.

He said: "It's really bad news, and it will make it more difficult to recruit staff.

"No park and ride will be a substitute, it means leaving for work half an hour earlier and getting back half an hour later.

"I'm very unhappy with it, and how Cornwall Council are doing this with no accounting for the local economy.

"Look at the amount of people employed in Falmouth in independent shops, we're going to struggle to get staff."