Sutton Council is losing up to £143,000 a year keeping the top floor of Gibson Road car park closed to prevent suicide attempts.

The council closed the roof level of the car park two years ago following the death of Samantha Abbott.

Samantha Abbott jumped from the seven story building in January 2009 after suffering from post-natal depression.

Worried about any future suicide attempts, Sutton Council decided to erect a deterrent - a sandwich board saying 'no pedestrians' on the ramp to the top floor.

Motorists can still park on the lower level of the top floor, but cannot go any further up as the wooden sandwich board is strategically placed to prevent motorists doing so. However, anyone on the brink of suicide could simply get out of their car and walk.

It's unlikely they would be set aback faced with the prospect of sidestepping a sandwich board, said Sutton Councillor Tony Shields.

The car park charged a daily rate of £4.80 and there are 84 spaces available on the top floor.

If the top floor of the car park was full every day in those two years, the council would have made £287,884.

Tony Shields, Conservative councillor for Sutton South said: "It is amazing how a so called cash-strapped council can afford to walk away from well over £100,000 a year in order to prevent suicides. I only know of two incidents which have happened there."

A spokesman for Sutton Council said: "The top floors of the multi-storey car park in Gibson Road are closed off with a moveable barrier because there's not enough demand for them. There is therefore no loss of income to the Council.

Drivers can use that floor if they really want to by simply moving the barrier, but for security reasons we prefer them to park on the lower levels. Of course when the car park's busy, at Christmas for example, we open it up and encourage drivers to use the upper floors as well."