TWO major car parks in the uphill area of the city are to be closed for almost a week each so they can be resurfaced.

The City of Lincoln Council-run car park in Langworthgate, off Greetwellgate, is to be shut from today until Thursday.

Then the main car park in Westgate, which backs on to the castle wall and faces the Tower Hotel, will be closed from Monday, July 19, to Friday, July 23, the following week.

The authority says the work is "essential" as surfaces have become worn. But the closures, which will mean a total loss of 163 spaces while work is carried out, will put extra strain on other car parks in the area and cause problems for residents.

Councillor Marc Jones, portfolio holder for planning policy and regeneration at the council, said: "This essential investment is taking place to renew the worn out surfaces and to prevent more expensive works later.

"We apologise for any inconvenience that the closures may cause, but all the other council car parks in the uphill area and within the city are open as usual, so I'd ask drivers to bear with us for the short time when the car parks are closed."

Work will include replacing tatty old surfaces and remarking all the bays.

People using the car parks on a regular basis say it will be a "nightmare".

Restaurant worker in the Bailgate area Johnny Brown, 23, uses the Westgate car park for work.

He said: "It will be a real problem when Westgate is closed down because it's the biggest car park up there and there is no way all the cars needing space will fit in with just the smaller car parks available."

And resident Marie Sutcliffe, of Rasen Lane, said she is concerned people will start to park in the side streets, taking spaces away from residents.

Mrs Sutcliffe, 67, said: "When people need a space to park they don't think about problems they are causing for other people, as far as they are concerned it's just 'find a space and grab it'."

Duty manager at the Tower Hotel Adam Lester said: "We don't have our own car park, so we rely on the Westgate one opposite the hotel for our customers to use. If there is a big event or just a busy day in the Bailgate, it fills up quite quickly and the other car parks are not very big. This is a concern."

The nearest available car parks are the two smaller car parks in Westgate, off St Paul's Lane, Castle Square and The Lawn, in Union Road.