Council offers free parking in run-up to Christmas

In Stamford, motorists can park for up to four hours for free in the Cattle Market car park Monday to Thursday from 1 December

A Lincolnshire council is offering free parking in the run-up to Christmas.

South Kesteven District Council said council-operated car parks in Grantham would be free each Friday during December leading up to Christmas Day.

In Stamford, motorists could park up to four hours for free in the Cattle Market car park Monday to Thursday from 1 December until Christmas Eve.

Parking at council sites in Bourne and Market Deeping is already free of charge, the authority said.

Councillor Richard Cleaver, cabinet member for property and public engagement, said the move would benefit both businesses and shoppers during the busiest time of the year.

"This will help alleviate the stress of gift shopping and we hope it will encourage many more visits to our towns to give a welcome boost to all of the independent local businesses," he said.

Motorists will still have to obtain a ticket from the machine, or use the RingGo app to register their visit, the authority added.

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.

Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices