A SPATE of car crime and vandalism has prompted council chiefs to recruit security guards to patrol parts of Blackburn Shopping Centre car park seven nights a week.

Town centre bosses are hoping the initiative, combined with the CCTV cameras, will make it safer to visit pubs and clubs in Blackburn.

They are also hoping the scheme will encourage a host of new pubs and restaurants to open up, making Blackburn East Lancashire's most popular destination for a night out. Certain areas of the shopping centre car park, marked with a red dot, will be monitored from 6pm until midnight. For a £1 fee, motorists can park in these spaces without worrying about vandals or car thieves.

The move is part of Blackburn with Darwen Council's drive to attract more evening visitors. Town centre manager Paul Isherwood said: "We want people who come into Blackburn in the evening to feel confident about leaving their cars parked in the town centre.

"There have been incidents of vandalism and car thefts and we want to make Blackburn as safe as possible to encourage people to come into town and use the pubs, bars and restaurants."

The area to be patrolled is next to the clock tower at King William Street, and street lighting in that area has also been improved.

The £6,000 scheme is being run in conjunction with the police and the shopping centre owners.

Similar security arrangements are already available at the Waves Water Centre car park. The town centre CCTV cameras are also proving successful, as is the radio link scheme involving police, local businesses and nightclub operators.

Crime prevention officer Alan Holt said people could now be tracked on camera anywhere in the town centre.

"It's not a case of Big Brother watching you. It is a case of making the town centre a safe place for people to come to," he said.

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