GWYNEDD Council is urging residents to take advantage of its annual free Christmas parking.

The initiative starts on Saturday, December 14 and will run until December 27.

Free parking will be offered in the Council’s public car parks to encourage residents to do their Christmas shopping in Gwynedd and to support local shops.

Councillor Gareth Griffith, Gwynedd Council Cabinet Member for Environment said: “As well as providing a boost for local traders, one of the key environmental aims of offering free parking in the county during the busy festive period is to encourage people to travel less distance to do their Christmas shopping.

“By shopping locally, rather than travelling for miles and getting stuck in traffic, you not only help the local economy but the environment as well.”

Councillor Gareth Thomas, Gwynedd Council Cabinet Member for Economic Development, added: “Christmas is a key time for many traders in Gwynedd, with independent shops and businesses offering a wide selection of goods.

“High street businesses and local traders are vital to the county’s economy, and as a Council we are committed to doing everything possible to supporting them and hope that the free parking scheme will encourage more people to support Gwynedd shops in the weeks running up to Christmas.”

Free parking will be offered in Gwynedd Council public car parks from 14 to 27 December, with fees as standard from December 28.

The scheme is only for Gwynedd Council public car parks. There will be a sign on every public car park pay and display machine, so if you can’t see a sign, you should check if it’s a Council car park.

Drivers who park in car parks owned by other organisations are urged to check arrangements before parking.

In Caernarfon the Galeri and Ffordd y Felin car parks will not be part of the scheme, therefore the usual pay and display arrangements will continue in these independent car parks.