A SHOPKEEPER is counting the cost of 19 parking tickets in 18 months.

Nimba Edi owes £1,000 in fines for parking in unauthorised bays and on double yellow lines outside his African Emporium shop in Manchester.

He says there is nowhere he can stop legally to unload goods, so he has to park his BMW on double yellows or at a bus stop outside his business, on Newton Street, Piccadilly.

But the council says he has been parking his car illegally when not loading and is chasing him for the £1,000.

A town hall spokesman said they had tried to explain to Mr Edi that he can use a loading bay opposite the business or the yellow lines for a short period to unload goods, but he has continued to ignore the advice.

Mr Edi, 40, from Clayton, who has had the one-stop shop for four years, said: "I think it's unfair. I have asked the council to set something up for me if they are not happy with where I'm parking - it's very stressful."

He received his first ticket in April 2007 and his most recent fine earlier this month.

The council spokesman said: "There is a loading bay opposite Mr Edi's shop but he parks on double yellow lines, in the loading bay and in other bays without paying. We have spoken to him on numerous occasions to explain that he can unload from the bay and on double yellows lines for a short period, but he persists in parking with no consideration for others."