A well-known Oxford pub for Portuguese food has blasted the council after claiming new parking restrictions have forced them to close. 

The team at Berkshire Pub and Tapas Café has announced they are set to close at the end of May after almost three years in business. 

The business blamed council road rules but Oxfordshire County Council has shot back, saying there was opportunity for objections to be raised earlier this year. 

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In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, the Abingdon Road business said the new parking restrictions implemented by the council were "an absolute small-business killer". 

"Implementing a non-stop at any time restriction on the Abingdon Road, especially after 6.30pm, makes this road more like a ghost road with no congestion at all," the statement said. 

"It was crucial to our decision and caused a big impact on our customers that try to visit us for a meal."

Oxford Mail: Traffic in Abingdon Road Traffic in Abingdon Road (Image: Robin Tucker)The team said they had not been notified of when the new rules would be implemented - despite Oxfordshire County Council's comments that all affected businesses had been written to and notices displayed on site.  

"We were told by a council candidate to encourage customers to park on the side roads, Vicarage Road and Lake Street," the statement added. 

The team said they believed the side road parking should be left for residents and claimed the council "doesn't really care about small businesses". 

The business also thanked everyone who had visited the pub.

"It’s amazing with the amount of times that we have filled that place with life, happiness and fun," the statement added.

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The statement also called for people to be "considerate when voting" and to choose a candidate that does not want to "kill" the area and "make it depressing with no options for the community to socialise". 

It comes as the Cake Shop in Oxford's Covered Market announced it will close on May 11 and reopen in new premises in Witney on May 18.

Bosses at the shop said the location is no longer the best place for them to trade.

Oxfordshire County Council told the Oxford Mail that the aim of the changes in Abingdon Road was to improve the route for cyclists.

Oxford Mail: Abingdon Road in Oxford Abingdon Road in Oxford (Image: Contributed)

"The previous single yellow line restrictions allowed parking in the cycle lanes and vehicles would often park on the footway," a spokesman said. 

"Alternative short-stay parking is still available in the side roads – for example, a non-permit holder could park in Norreys Avenue after 6pm for two hours until the restrictions ended and then for the rest of the evening without moving their car."

The council said consultation for the proposals took place from January 4 to February 2, and objections were considered at a meeting on February 22.