BOLTON'S free car parking offer will be rolled out later this month, town centre bosses have announced.

The move -- to give drivers an hour of parking for free if they stay in the town on a Saturday for a minimum of one hour -- will begin on May 26.

As exclusively revealed in the BEN, it will run for 13 weeks in a bid to head off competition from the popular Trafford Centre during the summer months.

But if it proves to be a successful move, town centre bosses will look at ways of slashing car parking charges.

Karen Wheeldon, Bolton town centre manager, admitted the fees could be driving some customers away from Bolton.

The free hour will only be available in council-run car parks.

Mrs Wheeldon said: "We're using the promotion to measure the effects charges have on shoppers.

"If this proves our point that motorists are being enticed by other centres with cheaper parking, then we'll take appropriate action.

"We'll never be able to remove car parking charges in towns because they are a good source of revenue. But if the promotion is successful there would be a case for reducing the cost to the driver."

A revived Manchester city centre together with the Trafford Centre and the Middlebrook Retail Park near Horwich have proved to be stiff competition for Bolton in recent years.

In particular, the Trafford Centre, which has free parking, has attracted hundreds of thousands of people since it opened in September 1998.

The Bolton car parking move has been welcomed by traders although some believe the promotional period should be extended.

A Trafford Centre spokesman said: "We don't actually see Bolton or indeed Manchester as a threat to us because we're very much a regional centre drawing people from across the North-west.

"If Bolton is offering free parking and improving its services for customers because of our influence than that can only be a good thing for the town."