The Cornhill tea shop is offering customers free parking for a trial period of two weeks, but which could be rolled out if successful.

Kingsley Raffael, a director of Harriets, will give any diner spending more than £20 a chance to redeem a full day’s parking in the long-stay car park or two hours in a short stay car park.

The scheme, which will give qualifying customers a voucher they can redeem on a return visit to the tea rooms, will start on July 14.

Mr Raffael, 36, said: “A lack of car parking, road works and the Cattle Market development are all making the town a total nightmare.

“Our customers are hugely frustrated and don’t come to Bury as often as they used to.”

Around 570 parking spaces have been lost since work began on the Cattle Market in December 2006.

Parking charges were also increased this year for the decked Parkway car park from £1.40 an hour to £1.80 and the short-stay Cattle Market surface car park by 10p an hour to £1.10 for two hours.

Mr Raffael said: “Market day trade has been hit dramatically. The Cattle Market has made a huge difference.

“The rise in parking charges was just a kick in the teeth.”

Brian Lockwood, manager of Baileys 2 café in Whiting Street, said his trade had been affected by the works.

Mr Lockwood, 60, said: “The Cattle Market has affected us and our takings have gone down.

“People can’t get near the town and the council just doesn’t care.”

A spokeswomen for St Edmundsbury Borough Council said it had been working to minimise the impact of construction on the town centre.

She said: “We know it’s a difficult time and have worked with individual traders when they have had specific issues that we’ve been able to help them with.

“We are now starting work on a marketing strategy, with the help of town centre traders, to promote the historic centre of the town when the new development opens.”