BLACKBURN town centre weekend car parking charges could be cut or scrapped in the wake of Burnley Council’s decision to waive the fees on 12 Saturdays a year to boost trade.

Council chiefs are looking at whether to bring back schemes to make Saturdays or weekend afternoons free, or ticket-free sessions as they continue their efforts to make the town more attractive.

Dave Harling, executive member for regeneration, announced the car park charge review as the authority continued working on a string of major redevelopments to the town centre, including a £5 million bus station revealed by the Lancashire Telegraph on Friday.

Tony Duckworth, president of Blackburn Chamber of Trade, welcomed the news and said previous similar experiments had benefited shops, especially smaller traders.

Coun Harling said: “The council, with its town centre partners, is always looking at ways to help town centre businesses and in the past has run similar parking initiatives such as ‘Free after Three’ in the run up to Christmas and the first half hour free parking on Paradise Lane to support King Street shops.

“Following the publication of the Mary Portas High Street report the council is actively considering a range of initiatives, including improvements to car parking to further boost the on-going regeneration of the borough’s town centres.

"We will be looking at what happens elsewhere, including Burnley. We will be looking at what effect it has.”

Most town centre car parks in Blackburn, which include Penny Street and Fielden Street, cost £1 for an hour and £1.20 for two hours while the Mall roof car park is £1 per hour, £1.20 for two and £2.30 for up to four hours.

In Burnley, charges in the centre are 80p for an hour, £1.40 for two, £2 for three hours and £3.50 for three hours plus.

The new Labour administration has announced the waiving of parking charges for the town centre on 12 Saturdays a year.

Bolton on-street charges are £1 for 30 minutes and £1.50 for an hour in the inner zone, and 60p for 30 minutes, 90p for an hour and £1.50 for two hours in the outer zone. Preston car parks charge £1.20 or more for an hour, £2 or more for two and £3.50 or £4 for four hours depending on location.

Mr Duckworth said: “Blackburn council is to be congratulated for looking at this. I think it is a wonderful idea. They have dabbled with this before and it benefited local small shops .”