By Elizabeth Harvey Businesses offering 24-hour emergency services are dismayed by a recent clamp down on Sunday permits for commercial vehicles.

Cleaning companies, electricians and plumbers have been particularly hard hit by the crack down, initiated by the Minister of Transport the Hon. Maxwell Burgess in September.

Former Sunday licence holders are increasingly finding their permits have been withdrawn or restricted to just half a day.

A number of small business said they were alarmed by a letter recently circulated by the Department of Transport warning them of the restrictions.

"It will jeopardise my business. I am really worried about it,'' said Mr.

Keith Richardson owner of KC Plumbing.

Plumber and contractor, Mr. Llewellyn Armstrong, also protested that his business would be hard hit if he had to tell customers, many of them restaurant and guest house owners, that he could not work on Sundays.

"It would mean hardship for me,'' he said. "I've been in this business 30 odd years and I have always been on call.

"I don't see why it should be taken away from me when my van is licensed for 355 days a year. I will definitely be appealing it -- I will go on the street.'' Mr. Junius Burrows said his restaurant and hotel customers would be "up the creek'' if he could not provide an emergency service on Sundays.

"I would lose an awful lot of customers,'' he said.

Cleaning service owners also protested the clamp down, claiming they could no longer provide a full 24-hour service.

One Hamilton business owner said he was peeved that while restrictions had been placed on Sunday permits on all his commercial vehicles, the cost of the permit had not been reduced.

At present a Sunday permit for a light van costs $148.50 regardless of whether the permit holder can only use his vehicle for half a day.

"We can't get our work done before noon so what am I to do?,'' he said.

"We do the bulk of our office work at the weekend -- carpet cleaning in particular. I'm a little annoyed about it.'' Acting director at the Transport Control Department, Mr. Valdon Caesar admitted the policy had attracted a great deal of opposition since it was introduced in September.

"We have had a flood of calls complaining about the new policy,'' he said.

"But the Minister is sympathetic to these grievances and will be looking at the policy very closely again.'' He said the restrictions were introduced to stop the private use of commercial vehicles on Sundays.

"In light of the number of abuses where trucks were on the roads on Sundays, the Minister felt he had to do something about it,'' said Mr. Caesar.

"He requested that the Department of Transport review all permits to see whether they were really needed for Sundays.'' As a result, recommendations were made to the Minister and a number of permits were either reduced or the times they could be used were reduced, he said.

Mr. Burgess admitted he is reviewing the situation.

"I'm aware some restrictions may cause inconvenience but I am looking into the matter and will come back on it,'' he said.

But Island Wide Carpet Cleaning owner Mr. Richard Thompson said he intends to approach the minister on the restrictions.

"I think they've erred on that issue,'' Mr. Thompson said. "We never know when we will be called out on an emergency.

"It's absolutely ridiculous,'' said another. "We can't predict when someone is going to have a flood. It will make life very difficult.''