DAY-tripping, shopping or getting to work in the Ribble Valley is much more affordable now thanks to a new bus ticket.

The Ribble Valley Day Ranger, purchased from the bus driver, costs £3 for adults, £1.50 for children or £7.50 for a family. It is valid on virtually all the services that operate in the valley as well as Blackburn Transport.

The ticket is valid for the whole day and is interchangeable from bus to bus, meaning the whole of the valley can be explored in the day at no extra cost.

The service can even take you as far as Preston, Blackburn, Barnoldswick and Settle, North Yorkshire.

The scheme is part of a government initiative, called Rural Bus Challenge, to reduce the number of cars on the road and encourage more people to use public transport.

Both Stagecoach and Blackburn Transport have financed the scheme alongside the East Lancashire Partnership through its Enterprising Rural Communities scheme.

At the launch at Clitheroe Interchange were County Councillor Tim Ormrod, vice-chairman of the highways and transport committee, and Ribble Valley Mayor Coun Chris Holtom.

More information about the service can be obtained from Clitheroe tourist information centre, or the bus and rail interchange.

PICTURE: Coun Tim Ormrod (left) and Ribble Valley Mayor Coun Chris Holtom launch the Day Ranger ticket