A SUPERMARKET in Darlington is to introduce a charge for motorists who park at the store for more than three hours.

Managers at Safeway, in Grange Road, want to deter people who park there all day while they are at work.

They say genuine shoppers are being denied spaces, and as a result are to introduce parking controls from next Monday.

A private company is to provide a parking attendant to patrol the store's car park and hand out notices to offending motorists.

Safeway spokesman Peter Sitch said: "We will register the numbers of all the vehicles parked in our car park.

"The operator will go around a bit like a council traffic warden.

"If you're parked there for more than three hours, then you will receive a letter saying if you do this again you will receive a charge notice."

Anyone who oversteps the three-hour limit a second time, after receiving the initial letter, will be charged £40.

Mr Sitch said: "Our car park is for shoppers. It is not there to provide a free parking service for local businesses.

"It's there for people who would like to shop at our store, or go into town and shop.

"If it is full of people parking their car to go to work, that is not going to do anything for the vitality and viability of Darlington."

He stressed that the move was not intended to penalise genuine customers.

And although he would prefer people to shop in Safeway, he said that three hours should be ample time for anyone shopping in Darlington town centre.

Mr Sitch said: "We estimate that three hours is more than sufficient for anyone to spend a comfortable amount of time in our store, go into town and even have a meal."

The Safeway store in Scarborough already operate the system, which has proved successful elsewhere in the country.

Mr Sitch said: "Most people who get the letter don't do it again. We hope people will receive the first letter they get in the spirit it is intended and there will never be a need for the company to issue a charge notice.