SHOPPERS have been given an early Christmas present by East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) in the form of free parking.

The move, which will enable people to park without raiding their purses and wallets, is designed to boost local businesses and will last for three hours, on a couple of days in December.

Petersfield and Alton will benefit from the initiative for the first three hours of parking on Saturday, December 2, and Sunday, December 3. The “giveaway” has been timed to coincide with Small Business Saturday and Christmas festivals in Alton and Petersfield on the Sunday.

The council has introduced the scheme to encourage visitors to local stores and to the festivals.

Ingrid Thomas, the district council’s portfolio holder for neighbourhoods and housing, said: “This is the perfect time to give away three hours of free parking.

“This length of time gives people the chance to come and see what our towns have to offer without worrying about parking fees and maximises the number of people able to enjoy themselves here.

“We aim to be one of the UK’s most business-friendly councils and this free-parking scheme will be a welcome boost to many of our shops and stores, as well as the visiting festival traders, during one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year.”

Small Business Saturday is a nationwide campaign that highlights small business success and encourages consumers to support the small businesses in their communities. The next day, Alton will host its Yuletide Festival while visitors to Petersfield will enjoy the Christmas festival there.

EHDC has altered its parking meters to allow the three-hour tickets to be issued for free during these events.