CAR parking capers abound in Blackburn, where you'll soon have to pay for the privilege of leaving your car while you go shopping, but then again you might not!

Having recently announced an end to free on-street parking, councillors have now decided to defer introducing the charges until after Christmas.

Well that's some good news for Christmas shoppers.

But the reason for the delay is not to attract more people into town during a crucial period for retailers, it's simply because the council is still consulting with town centre partners over the issue.

The decision to charge or not to charge is, and always will be, a contentious one.

But now it is getting even more complicated.

Perhaps the council would consider issuing a special calendar, as they do for refuse collection, to let people know when they will be charged for parking and when they can come into town for free.