Diss businessman and town councillor John Maskell said car parking charges were already too high and increases proposed by South Norfolk Council would only add to problems faced by shopkeepers.

"The charges on the car parks are far too high," he said. "This is why shopkeepers in Diss are doing so badly."

Speaking to South Norfolk Council's head of finance Andy Radford at a meeting of Diss Town Council on Wednesday, Mr Maskell, who owns Larter and Ford in Market Hill, said the charges needed to be reduced or, ideally, removed in order to encourage people into the town centre.

"You are forcing people from the high streets and into the supermarkets which are free," he said.

"If you walk down Mere Street you will see it's full of empty shops.

"I have been a shopkeeper for 42 years and I have never seen anything like it.

"I think Harleston has got the right idea – car parks need to be free."

Mr Radford said the current administration at South Norfolk Council did not believe in charging the council tax payer for car parking.

He added that if every household was to pay for parking through their council tax it would mean a rise of just under six per cent – something which is not allowed by the Government.

The proposed charges, which will be discussed at the meeting of South Norfolk Council's cabinet on April 7, are for the first hour free, rising to £5 for more than four hours in short stay car parks. Season tickets for long-stay car parks would be increased from £150 to £300 a year, with a reduction to £150 for residents who have no suitable alternative parking.

Mr Radford said he was in consultation with local market towns to find out what they thought were the most suitable ways of charging.

"Some market towns may want an hour free and others may want a different approach," he said.

"We are not looking for additional income from Diss and Wymondham."

Council leader John Fuller said charges would be have to be implemented in Harleston and Loddon in order to pay for maintenance costs.

He said it was not possible for free parking to continue due to future costs and a £300,000 maintenance backlog, left by the council's last administration.

A spokesman for the Harleston and District Car Parks Group said members were extremely disappointed with the news.

"We are surprised that Councillor Fuller has pre-judged the issue, when councillor Martin Wilby has suggested that the evidence produced by Harleston would be used at the cabinet meeting next month."