DRIVERS in Bury town centre will have to fork out more to park their cars.

New charges, introduced this week, mean that all tickets for both car park and on-street parking go up by 10p.

A two-hour stay will go up to 80p, while a 30-minute park goes up to 40p.

The only exception will be a 20 per cent increase in charges at designated short-stay car parks -- Castle, Chapel Street, Parsons Lane and School Brow -- for drivers staying longer than three hours. The rise, from £5 to £6, is to discourage long-stay parking on those sites.

People who hold parking permits will pay around five per cent more. A six-month pass goes up by by £10 to £220 for Monday to Friday, and by £15 to £280 including Saturday. A 12-month permit goes up £20 to £440 for weekdays, and by £30 to £555 for Monday to Saturday.

Cllr Stella Smith, executive member for environment and transport, said: "Bury town centre continues to attract visitors and shoppers alike. Much of that is because parking spaces are available and not clogged up by all-day parkers. That is something that we want to continue."

We are being consistent and pursuing our policy of encouraging people to consider alternative forms of transport.

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