FREE parking will be introduced in Swindon town centre on Sundays in a bid to boost the amount of people visiting and shopping there.

All town centre car parks will be free to use on April 7 and every Sunday after that for the foreseeable future.

The teams overseeing inSwindon BID, the Brunel Shopping Centre, Regent Circus and the Parade worked with Swindon Borough Council for months to consider parking concessions which would support retailers. Footfall on a Sunday is lower than the rest of the week, so the council hope that this move will encourage more people to visit and stay there for longer.

Topshop store manager Tanya Peters said: “This is great news for the town centre as it is something we have been struggling with for such a long time. This will definitely bring in more people as parking prices has been one of the biggest reasons for people not coming into town on a Sunday. It will bring us in line with other towns that offer this and with great success.”

Chief executive of inSwindon BID Di Powell said: “We’re really excited to see free parking on Sundays starting this week. It is a step in the right direction to boosting footfall on the high street and will make us more competitive against the local retail parks and neighbouring shopping destinations.

“People generally have more leisure time on a Sunday and with the recent relaunch of the Swindon Loyalty Club, the fantastic mix of high street and independent retailers it’s a great time for people to shop local and take advantage of the different shops, eateries and leisure facilities the town centre has to offer.”

For more information about participating car parks and tariffs, visit swindontowncentre.co.uk/visitor-info/parking