A pressure group has urged town councillors to press for lower parking charges in two of Farnham’s main car parks amid concerns for women’s safety.

Town councillors have received a concerning letter about how many women feel unsafe when walking through parts of the town centre at night.

They want later parking fees to be reduced at the Central and South Street car parks as many women who use cheaper options at Riverside, Waggon Yard and the free parking at Brightwells Yard don’t feel safe returning to them late in the day.

Although Waverley Borough Council – which extended charges to 10pm at some of its sites early this year – sets and enforces parking at the sites, the email was circulated to all Farnham Town councillors by the group, with Cllr Mark Merryweather raising their concerns at last Thursday’s FTC meeting for discussion.

He said: “The perception in Farnham is that some areas are unsafe for women and this is an issue we need to solve.

“Decreasing parking fees will not solve this perception of feeling unsafe.”

Cllr George Murray said: “We are one of the safest towns in one of the safest counties in the UK.

“Crime rates are down constantly – the crime rate is consistently down year upon year.”

It was noted during the town hall meeting that places like Riverside Walk have improved but concerns around poor lighting and a lack of footfall raised the question as to whether CCTV will be brought in to ease safety concerns.

Calls for a police station to reopen in Farnham were also made with some councillors citing the Hampshire Police decision to open one in Alton as an example.

The council also confirmed that CCTV will be installed on Borelli Walk to prevent it becoming a “problem spot.”