A former Park & Ride site is being reopened as an overflow facility during the Easter break.

Drivers will be able to access and use Willington Street Car Park in Maidstone from today (March 29).

Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) has reopened the location as an additional parking area free of charge for visitors to Mote Park.

This will be daily, between 8am and 8pm, for two weeks until Sunday, April 14.

In February 2022, the Park & Ride ended after 33 years.

Tumbling passenger numbers, thanks to the pandemic, sealed the fate of the service which ran from two remaining bases.

Mote Park, located in the town centre, covers more than 450 acres. It has woodland, grassland, rivers and a 30-acre lake.

It was also one of 46 parks in Kent to be awarded a Green Flag status by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.

MBC head of environmental services and public realm, Jennifer Stevens, said: “The council knows that the Easter break is a popular time for visitors to go to Mote Park and the public car parks in particular, can become very busy.

“With that in mind, MBC is opening the Willington Street Car Park area to help people to park their vehicles in a safe environment.

“This will be a free of charge service to enable visitors to enjoy Mote Park which can be accessed from there.”