RESIDENTS in Bacup have urged council chiefs to find a solution to parking problems -- claiming the lack of car parking spaces is driving shoppers out of town.

Locals at the Bacup Area Forum meeting said people working in the town were hogging short-stay parking spaces all day.

They said visitors and staff using the new Bacup Health Centre in Rochdale Road and SureStart Maden Centre had led to "significantly" reduced parking provision.

Council chiefs said one way of tackling the problem would be to introduce "pay parking" at some of the town centre car parks.

June Jones, a member of Bacup's Sunnycrest Community Group based in Pennine Road, said: "People try to attend events at the Maden Centre but find people who work in Bacup are parking on the car park

"Gavin from Pioneer Gym asked if there was any possibility that we could do a deal with the firms in the town and encourage their staff to park on the car park above the Post Office."

But Coun Jimmy Eaton --who works as a postman -- said staff would be reluctant to leave their vehicles on the car park behind the Post Office because of problems with vandalism in the past.

He said: "Post Office staff have parked up there before and have had their cars scratched."

Leader of the council, Duncan Ruddick, said: "One way of addressing this issue is to organise parking on a pay basis so it discourages people from parking long term on short-stay car parks.

"I would like to add that there is no discussion going on about introducing paid parking in Bacup but that is a way of managing car parking rather than relying on people to park further away on their own accord."