Latest news from the borough council:

We have a fantastic parking offer this Christmas which allows shoppers to park for up to five hours for just £1.

When parking charges resumed from today on Council-run Ormskirk town centre car parks following the national lockdown, drivers who purchase a ticket for our pay-and-display car parks will receive an additional two hours parking for free to help them save money.

Councillor David Evans, whose Cabinet responsibilities include parking, said: "We want to make sure our local residents feel they can relax while shopping safely in Ormskirk this Christmas. So while they are taking time to shop in the town centre they don’t have to rush back to the car.

"We hope everyone will support our local traders in what has been a difficult year for all of us, including them as they have been hit hard by lockdowns and other issues including Edge Hill University not having as many students on campus each day."

Ormskirk has a wonderful selection of independent stores and well-known high street brands, who have taken steps to ensure visitors can shop safely during the pandemic.

More stalls will also be available on Ormskirk Market from Thursday 3 December and as the market operates in the open air with social distancing in place it offers another place for visitors to shop safely.

The parking offer is available up to and including Thursday 24 December on our car parks except for the one by the Council offices on Derby Street.

Motorists should check car park signage to make sure we manage it and display the valid ticket they have paid for. Notices explaining the offer will be on display. The two extra free hours will not be shown on the ticket. Our parking officers are aware of the offer and will allow for the extra two hours.

Parking on our pay and display car parks is free on Sundays and Bank Holidays and offers great value all year round.

At the start of the first lockdown we were one of the first local authorities in Lancashire to suspend parking charges and we were one of the last in Lancashire and Merseyside to re-introduce them later in the year.

We suspended charges again at the start of the second lockdown when a number of other local authorities did not. Re-introducing them will help stop people parking all day or even overnight and free those spaces up for visitors.

We are all now subject to travelling restrictions similar to those faced in October, when we were told to try to avoid travelling outside the area and people were told to try to avoid coming here so visitor numbers were down. As we prepare for Christmas this is a chance to see what great shops and traders are on our doorstep.