LOCAL MSP Christine Grahame has written to Scottish Borders Council to ask that parking charges be removed in a popular car park in Galashiels during the busy festive period in a bid to give local traders a boost.

It follows fears that shoppers are bypassing the town, which has been plagued by road works in recent years, following the decision to axe traffic wardens.

Ms Grahame wrote to Council Leader David Parker after being contacted by constituents about parking problems in the town, particularly drivers staying for long periods of time on the streets around the centre.

She said: “Following an investigation I have found that revenue generated from the car park in the High Street has reduced by £30,000 since 2011/12.

“I can imagine that an awful lot of people simply won’t pay to park in Galashiels and indeed may travel elsewhere to do their shopping. This could be down to a number of factors but in particular the jump in charge when parking for longer than three hours.”

Ms Grahame is suggesting that the car park in the High Street be free from charges for the month of December to encourage people to shop in the town centre.

She added: “This would release the warden/s to monitor on-street parking and issue fines where appropriate.

“It would also ensure that businesses aren’t suffering as a result of people parking outside their premises for long periods of time.”