SHOPKEEPERS were celebrating victory this week in their fight to retain vital parking spaces outside their businesses.

The police had asked for the parking ban in Willow Street, Congleton, to cut long-standing traffic congestion.

However traders feared their takings would be hard hit if a parking ban was introduced on both sides of the road.

They said passing trade was vital to their businesses, with motorists stopping off at the fish and chip shop and the newsagents.

Traders joined forces to fight the proposed ban, and attracted a thousand names for a petition in only a few weeks.

Concern about the impact of the parking ban prompted borough council highway officials to come up with a scaled-down scheme retaining some spaces for parking.

The reduced parking ban was approved on Monday by borough councillors, a decision welcomed by newsagent Roger Malkin.

"Everyone was very pleased with the outcome of the meeting,'' he said.

The original proposal was to ban parking on the left hand side as you leave Congleton as far as No 20 and on the right up to No 11.

However councillors voted for the scaled-down option of banning parking on the left side up to No 12 , two doors down from the newsagents, and as far as No 7 on the right.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.