Free parking days for shoppers

SHOPPERS in Carmarthenshire are being encouraged to use free parking days and support local businesses in the run-up to Christmas.

Carmarthenshire Council has approved requests from town councils in Carmarthen, Llandeilo and Llanelli to allocate free parking days throughout December.

Towns across the county are offered five free parking days to use as they wish between January to November every year, but the county council’s cabinet has agreed to requests from some towns to extend these into December.

In Llanelli the free parking days are December 11 and 18; in Carmarthen they are December 12 and 19 and in Llandeilo they are December 11 and 18.

These are in addition to the usual free parking periods in short stay car parks already running throughout the year in Carmarthenshire towns.

The free parking days coincide with the launch of the first ever Christmas pop-up shops as part of Carmarthenshire County Council’s 100% Sir Gar initiative as a way of supporting local businesses to recover from a long period of lockdown and restrictions on retail.

The pop-up shops are located at the former Debenhams store at St Catherine’s Walk in Carmarthen and at 1 Stepney Street in Llanelli, they will be open up until Christmas.

Cabinet member for environment, Cllr Hazel Evans, said: “We know how difficult the past year has been for our local businesses and that is why we have agreed to allow the three main towns to use their annual free parking day allocations during December if they wanted to as this month is usually excluded.”

Details of car parking services and free parking days can be found on Carmarthenshire Council’s website.