Free Christmas parking to begin on promenade

Additional free parking is being made available in the run up to Christmas

Free parking on the walkway along the seafront in the Isle of Man's capital will become available later to coincide with the annual Christmas lights switch-on.

The offer, which will be in place until 8 January, will open up additional spaces between the war memorial on Harris Promenade and the end of Loch Promenade.

Festivities in Douglas get under way at 17:30 GMT and include the first Thursday evening of late-night shopping in the high street ahead of Christmas.

Free parking will also be available on Thursday evenings between 17:00 and 22:00 and weekends in the local authority's Shaw's Brow and Bottleneck car parks until 18 December.

The annual arrangements aim to encourage more visitors to the capital during the run-up to the festive season.

The promenade parking will be restricted to a stay of two hours, extended to four for those displaying a disabled badge, and arrival times must be displayed on a parking disc.

The Department of Infrastructure has put a one-way system in place on the walkway in a southerly direction throughout, along with a 10mph (16km/h) speed limit.