John Lewis, one of the country's largest retailers, has blamed the congestion charge for a fall in sales at its flagship Oxford Street store.

Sir Stuart Hampson, the company's chairman, issued a warning that all city centre retailing was threatened by the widening of the scheme to other parts of the Capital.

Forum Response: British Retail Consortium

Bill Moyes, director general of the British Retail Consortium, told ePolitix.com: "Congestion charging has the potential to have a huge impact on retailing and remains an area where many of our members have concerns. The contribution of the research to better understanding its impact is most welcome. It will definitely help further informed and constructive debate on the issue.

"We remain concerned over the possible serious longer-term threat to urban regeneration from introducing London style congestion charging schemes into other cities or any extension of the scheme in London.

"We fully back the call for any local authority considering congestion charging to wait for a clearer picture of its true impact to emerge before taking their plans any further."

Forum Response: Federation of Small Businesses

Nick Winch, policy development officer at the FSB, told ePolitix.com: "John Lewis's concern about the charge mirrors those of many small businesses which have been adversely affected by the charge. Transport for London needs to wake up to the damage which the congestion charge is causing.

"It has to recognise that there is a problem and consider ways of addressing it. Above all, it must abandon plans to extend the scheme. The cost could be too high."