Cannock's main car park could be shut for Christmas

The loss of the car park on Ringway could have a major impact on businesses and lead to parking chaos in Cannock during the Christmas rush.

It was sealed off after an inspection raised fears over safety. Council deputy leader Gordon Alcott revealed bosses were warned there was a 'risk to life and property' if emergency action wasn't taken.

He said it was still not known when the car park would re-open and that it was likely there would need to be detailed reports to be prepared to ensure it meets safety regulations before it could be.

With the Christmas shopping period just weeks away, Councillor Alcott admitted chiefs were in the dark about when the repairs would be completed. He said leaders were exploring the possibility of opening parts of the building early.

He said: "We are carrying out repairs on the ramp and it all depends on these repairs being done. We are looking at the situation as we go as to whether we can open the lower floors to the public but we will have to have a structural report from engineers."

Asked if council bosses were concerned by the loss of the car park, Councillor Alcott replied: "Everything is a concern. We're working as hard as we can but it is in the hands of these experts and structural engineers.

"What we don't want to do is to put anyone's life or property at risk. That's why we had to take the decision in the first place. Another building collpased somewhere else and we didn't want that to happen. We took the advice of the structural engineers for safety reasons."

"We're hoping it could be done by (Christmas), that's the intention. We didn't think at the start we would have to close it but it was all so sudden. If we can get the reports done in time then we will do that."

Businesses in Cannock fear they could lose out as a result of the car park closing. The deputy leader said he was not aware of plans to offer extra parking provision while the main multi-storey was out of action.

But he added: "We are well-serviced for car parks in Cannock, far better than other districts in the county. It is always sad to lose a car park but these things never last forever and we were as surprised as anybody to find out it was as bad as it was."