DISABLED motorists with a blue badge motorists will now be able to access a town riverbank more easily.

They will now be able to use a special fob to get into the car park beside The Ribble at Edisford in Clitheroe.

It will stop them having to get out of their vehicles to gain access to the beauty spot.

Ribble Valley Council hopes the new system will prevent the situation which arose one Sunday this summer when more than 40 unauthorised vehicles parked on the riverbank, causing a safety hazard to families and churning up the grass.

For many years access to the car park on the bank of the River Ribble in Edisford has been via a gate unlocked with a RADAR key.

Blue badge holders have had to get out of their car, unlock the gate, drive through, stop, then relock the gate, before accessing the site.

Not only does this inconvenience blue badge holders with restricted mobility, but if the gate is left unlocked unauthorised vehicles are able to access the site.

Stuart Carefoot, chairman of Ribble Valley Council’s community services committee, said: “After careful thought, we have decided to replace the gate’s current entry system with a fob-operated automatic barrier."

Fobs are available for a refundable deposit on presentation of a blue badge at Ribblesdale Pool in Edisford Road, Clitheroe.