FREE evening parking for Christmas shoppers has been launched in Leicester as businesses gear up for the busy festive season.

Four city centre multi-storey car parks will be offering free parking after 6pm in the run-up to Christmas and over the festive period.

Car parks taking part include Newarke Street, Dover Street, the Haymarket and the Lanes car park at St Nicholas Place. The offer runs from November 23 to December 31.

Thousands of pay and display spaces across the city are already free to use after 6pm.

Other car parks offering cheap parking include Lee Circle and Abbey Street, where all-day parking costs just £4, and St Nicholas Circle, where drivers who park between 7am and 9.30am Monday to Friday pay only £3 per day.

East Street car park is also offering all-day Sunday parking for just £2, with Highcross charging just £2 for parking after 5pm on weekdays.

Newarke Street car park will offer free parking on Boxing Day as some of the city¹s main shops, including Fenwick, Highcross and the Haymarket shopping centre, prepare to open their doors to bargain hunters.

The free parking scheme is one of a number of measures to encourage shoppers into the city for their Christmas shopping.

Other schemes include increased park and ride services, including Meynell¹s Gorse which will operate on Sundays and late-nights on Wednesdays, as well as running during the weekend after Christmas to bring bargain-hunters into the city.

The newly-opened park and ride service from Enderby now means there are over 1,500 park and ride parking spaces for passengers wanting to visit the city.

Leicester City Council¹s cabinet member for transport, Councillor Patrick Kitterick, said:  ‘We want to encourage people to do their Christmas shopping in Leicester, so we are making it as easy as possible for them to do so.

We'd encourage drivers to make use of all the city¹s car parks, to reduce the chance of having to queue, or alternatively to consider other sustainable forms of transport into the city, such as the network of park and ride facilities, or coach services if coming from further afield.

 There are also cycle racks provided on most main city centre streets, as well as secure bicycle parking and changing facilities at the Town Hall.

People can also explore the city centre on foot and walk around the city¹s retail circuit. We¹d also encourage people to shop in the evenings to avoid congestion at peak times.

Leicester has so much to offer, and we want as many people as possible to make it their first choice this Christmas.’

Other facilities include free motorcycle parking on Horsefair Street, Bowling Green Street and Abbey Street, and the free Shopmobility scooter hire service, based at the Haymarket and Highcross car parks, for people with mobility problems.