A last-ditch attempt by a trader to stop Bradford Council introducing controversial parking meters failed last night when councillors gave the go-ahead.

Peter Blyth, owner of Minstrels Music Shop in Sunbridge Road, turned up at the transportation, planning and design committee with a petition. But councillors went ahead with the plan to put parking meters in 13 city-centre streets.

The authority will now begin to appoint staff and order equipment to implement the scheme next April. The committee over-ruled hundreds of objections from traders who said the charges would kill the already ailing city centre.

Council officers said it would end congestion caused by cars circling the city centre while current free spaces were used by motorists parking long term.

Trader Peter Blyth appealed to councillors to vote against the plan when he turned up at the committee meeting last night.

Mr Blyth produced a petition gathered from more than 40 city centre traders who are not affiliated to the Chamber of Trade and appealed to the meeting not to act as a rubber stamp for the "unnecessary and largely discredited" parking meter scheme.

Mr Blyth, who faces having seven meters down his section of the street, said his trade and profit had declined in the last two years, in line with other shopkeepers.

He said that in the last seven years, six shop units in Sunbridge Road had changed hands a total of eleven times - with five others pulling out or closing down altogether. After the decision, Mr Blyth said: "This is a deep disappointment.''

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