NEW signs pointing motorists in the right direction for town centre parking in Great Harwood have been welcomed by police and traders.

Six months ago police, local traders and a national supermarket chain joined forces in a bid to end traffic chaos.

Queen Street, the town's main road, had become an increasing problem because drivers leave their cars in the restricted parking areas for hours.

The road is narrow for a main thoroughfare and this then caused problems for buses turning into the road from the roundabout at the top as drivers had to be careful to avoid parked vehicles.

In turn this caused other traffic to come to a standstill while the bus completed the manoeuvre.

As a way of easing congestion, bosses at United Co-op opened their car park outside the Queen Street outlet for everyone with the aim of moving long-stay vehicles from the main road.

But people still were not getting the message so Great Harwood Business Forum arranged for a number of signs to be put up, pointing people in the right direction.

A spokesman for United Co-op said: "We are delighted to be of assistance to the town and hope that the introduction of these signs will lead to more people taking advantage of the car park."