A new park and ride scheme will be trialled this summer as Folkestone prepares for an influx of visitors.

The service is a pilot to assess demand and help alleviate parking congestion in the harbour area of the town during the busy and hot season.

It will be operated by Stagecoach and will run from the Motis Business Centre in Cheriton, near junction 12 of the M20.

Users will be able to enjoy 'hassle free parking' by paying £5 per car to park all day, organisers say.

Shuttle buses will run every 30 minutes between 9am and 6pm to Folkestone Harbour via Folkestone Central Station.

The park and ride service will run every weekend until October and daily during the summer holidays.

The scheme has been announced by Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC), and was made possible by Welcome Back funding from the government.

It is the first time park and ride has been introduced to the town.

A spokesman for FHDC said: “We are expecting a high number of visitors this summer which should be great for our local businesses but the influx of additional cars has caused issues in the past down in the harbour and coastal park area where parking is limited.

“By piloting this park and ride service we hope both visitors and residents will benefit from easier parking and fewer cars in the traditionally busy areas.

"The shuttle buses will also stop at Folkestone Central station providing a new important transport link between the station and harbour area."

The Folkestone district, which also includes Hythe and Romney Marsh, was inundated with visitors last summer as more people were forced to stay close to home due to the pandemic.

The council introduced interventions to help ease the impact of increased visitor numbers - this included banning barbecues at the Lower Leas Coastal Park and closing its car park at 8pm to discourage anti-social behaviour.

These two measures will remain in place this summer.

Other actions will include putting out more bins to prevent littering, encouraging people to take their rubbish home and stepping up the number of environmental enforcement officers on patrol.

Earlier this year, the Motis Business Centre submitted an application to the council seeking permission to expand its site, including adding a 120 space truck stop.

For more information about the park and ride service please visit folkestone-hythe.gov.uk/parkandride

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