The ‘silly rule’ stopping small businesses in the city centre doing deliveries

Small businesses in Manchester are being 'hindered' by a ban on cars using loading bays for deliveries, the founder of an independent brewery has said. Rik Garner, who set up the First Chop brewery a decade ago, received a £70 fine for parking his Mercedes Estate S124 in a Northern Quarter loading bay.

He donated free beers for the launch of a new local magazine, 'The Rodeo', at the UNITOM book shop and came back later to collect unused boxes, leaving his car in a loading bay at Stephenson Square for around 15 minutes, he said. However, when he returned to his car he found a parking ticket on the front.

He appealed, but was told by Manchester council that only goods vehicles - like vans - can use parking bays, so he paid the fine at a reduced rate of £35. But the founder of the Salford-based brewery which sold more than a million beers last year, claims that this 'pedantic' policy is bad for small businesses.

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Having built his business 'from nothing', Bury-born Rik says the brewery's success simply would not have been possible if he was forced to buy a van. The micro brewery, which used a van for four years, still does around eight deliveries every week - mainly in the city centre - using the 1970s estate car.

The 50 year-old says many small businesses in the city are in a similar position. He said: "I think it's a silly rule.

"It doesn't give a fair playing field to everybody. It's hindering businesses from growing.

"Even an established business like mine – and it's the same for small places."

Rik says this was the first time he received a fine for parking in a loading bay. The only alternative for making deliveries in the city centre