Bath park-and-ride operates on Boxing Day for first time

A park-and-ride service is operating in Bath on Boxing Day for the first time following calls from traders.

The Bath Business Improvement District agreed to run the service on the busy shopping day after traders said a lack of public transport on bank holidays stopped people visiting the area.

The service is being tried out to see if it makes any difference to sales.

Alex McLaren, operations manager at the Milsom Place shopping complex in Bath, said the service was "crucial".

'Absolutely heaving'

"Parking in Bath is at a premium," he said.

"As soon as those car parks are full, it's really difficult to park around the city.

"There's a lot of residents' parking... so having that option for getting into Bath is crucial.

"Certainly we see the park-and-ride over the entire Christmas period on Milsom Street as absolutely heaving."

Earlier this month the government welcomed a strategy that could see a new park and rail service built near Bath.