THE owner of a hair salon which has served Purley for more than 50 years has said parking problems may force her to close.

Karen Tyne, owner of Diane at High Street, claims business has plummeted since Croydon Council removed the yellow line from the bay outside the salon in April, meaning disabled drivers no longer get priority parking.

Ms Tyne said: "I have a lot of elderly and disabled clients, on whom I rely. Many have had to miss their appointments; many have simply stopped coming.

"I am looking at moving to another area. It is a terrible shame."

Ms Tyne is trying to persuade the council to reserve the bay for disabled drivers. She added: "I have collected names of at least 15 clients with disabled badges to show we have a case."

A council spokesman said town centre refurbishments include two new disabled parking spaces, at 1 High Street – a short walk from Diane – and outside the nearby swimming pool.

He added: "In that stretch of road there is now more loading space for businesses and one more disabled space than before.

"There are also more parking spaces directly outside Ms Tyne's business."