BLACKPOOL drivers face months more parking pain before a £1.1m restoration of the town centre's crumbling car parks is complete.

Parts of four multi-storey car parks have been shut off and a fifth demolished since dangerous "concrete cancer" was diagnosed last summer - taking 1,500 prime parking spaces out of use.

The latest report to Blackpool policy and resources committee shows most of the work is still unfinished - and some has not even started - blighting town centre trade for another season.

It had been feared that one of the biggest, most heavily used car parks - the 665-space Albert Road multi-storey behind C&A - would be lost entirely. But now the committee has decided to spend an extra £170,000 to restore 170 spaces by August (bringing a welcome £85,000 to council coffers).

New Central car park, next to Bonny Street police HQ, was demolished completely at a cost of £365,000 - the site is to remain vacant while Winter Gardens owner Leisure Parcs looks into developing a major new conference centre there.

Policy and resources chairman Ivan Taylor said councils all over the country were having to deal with the same problems in the 1960s built structures - including Preston, which has had to shut its St George's Centre car park.

"Maintaining these car parks is getting more and more of a problem," he said. "It's generally accepted now that surface parking is the way of the future - multi-storeys are not only costly but people feel they're forbidding and risky."

Blackpool's huge surface car park at the end of Yeadon Way is said to be the largest in Europe - but it is too far for most people to walk to town centre shops. "We're still considering the possibility of a People Mover service to the centre," said Coun Taylor.

Chapel Street car park is still partly closed, but £65,000 repairs should be complete this financial year.

Hounds Hill car park repairs - costing £277,000 - started in December and are due for completion this year, but have caused less of a nuisance to parkers. Emergency safety work only has been done at West Street car park, behind British Home Stores. Tenders are being sought for more more long-term repairs.

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