ANGRY Bury florist Margo Pastusiak claims her trade is wilting due to over-zealous parking wardens targeting customers.

Now, she is writing to Bury Council parking chiefs demanding dispensation so she can load and unload at her Cupid's Arrow business opposite Fairfield General Hospital without being booked. She says that a single yellow line outside her Rochdale Old Road shop means she is forced to park several streets away for fear of being ticketed.

"What is happening is that customers who park outside for a minute or two to pick up a bouquet or a basket are being booked. I've spoken to those giving out the tickets and they tell me motorists are only allowed to park for a couple of minutes on the single yellow line," said Margo, who opened her shop in March.

"On many occasions, my customers are forced to park on the yellow line because the nearby side streets are full with cars parked by people visiting the hospital. I haven't even got a permit to allow me to load or unload outside my own shop."

She claims that the threat of receiving a £40 fine means customers are being put off from using her shop.

"What is happening now is affecting my business. My staff have to park their own cars a long, long way away. I want the council to give me a permit which allows my customers to park outside my shop for up to ten minutes. It's not as if we're causing an obstruction."

Margo added: "There's no way I want this business to close, so that's why I'm writing to the local authority. I just feel the council ought to be made aware of what is happening here."

Mr John Foudy, Bury Council's parking services manager, said loading and unloading was permitted by a single yellow line but that the length of any such operation would be dictated by observation times at the site.

About whether customers could be given loading and unloading dispensation, he added: "We would have to look at this as it's rather a grey area. We would need to determine what is defined as unloading."

He stressed, however, that should anyone feel they have been unjustly ticketed then they were entitled to go through the normal appeals process.