FREE on-street parking will be available across Gloucestershire next month as part of a  national campaign that will  encouraging people to support their local retailers and highlight the services they provide.

The Small Business Saturday campaign will run on Saturday, December 6, which is regarded as one of the busiest shopping days of the year as people stock up on Christmas presents.

To back the campaign, the county council will waive charges for on-street parking across the county on that day.

Bus journeys, including the park and ride in Gloucester and Cheltenham, will cost just £2 for a return ticket for journeys on direct bus services between any two points within Gloucestershire.

The Gloucester park and ride service starts at Waterwells and travels through the Quays and onto the city centre. The Cheltenham service travels from Arle Court into the town centre.

Cllr Mark Hawthorne, leader of Gloucestershire County Council, said: "In this day and age where you can buy everything you need online, our local businesses need our support to thrive.

"We're fortunate in Gloucestershire to have such a fantastic range of small businesses and playing a part in the Small Business Saturday campaign is our way of showing just how important they really are.

"We all shop more in the run up to Christmas so I hope you'll join our campaign and make Gloucestershire your shopping destination of choice on 6th December."

Although the usual charges for on-street parking will be waived on December 6,  normal time limits will still apply, so the county council advise people to check the local signs when parking.

For more information on Small Business Saturday visit  www.smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com and for on-street parking details, visit the www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/parking website.