TOWN centre traders are celebrating after council bosses backed down on plans to raise parking charges by up to 28 per cent before Christmas.

The U-turn was prompted by Labour leaders at Blackburn with Darwen Council after they learned of the plan -- and increases will now be reviewed and introduced on January 5. Today opponents of the move thanked the Evening Telegraph for highlighting the plans -- and labelled the people behind the proposed pre-Christmas increases in Blackburn as "off their rockers."

It has also been revealed that council bosses have agreed to honour a council leaflet which stated all council car parking spaces will be free after 4pm on festive late-night shopping nights.

It is understood the leaflet was put into circulation by the council-run Blackburn Town Centre Partnership before any decision on whether to offer free car parking had been made.

Overall, delaying the rises and allowing the the 'free after 4pm' deal to stand is expected to cost the authority around £70,000 in lost charges.

Blackburn with Darwen Council's Labour leadership demanded to know why regeneration chiefs announced a rise in parking charges for November 25 - the start of the vital Christmas shopping period.

But council leader Kate Hollern insisted that car park users would not be forced to pay that back through even bigger increases in the future.

She said: "A six per cent overall increase was approved in April, and we are now looking at how that is achieved.

"There will be a cost to the council for putting the increase date back, and honouring what was offered in the leaflet.

"But that is something we will deal with, and I can categorically state the council will not be passing that on to drivers.

"I only recently became aware of the date when the increase was planned for, and it has been decided it would be better to push it back."

Coun Andy Kay, executive member for regeneration, added: "The rise was decided on in April but delayed while we reviewed parking provision.

"The decision to hold the implementation date back is an attempt to help nuture the continuing success Blackburn town centre is enjoying.

"Parking will also be free after 4pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays in the run up to Christmas. Wardens will be told not to issue tickets to vehicles arriving after 4pm."

The Evening Telegraph revealed details of the proposed increases last week. A two-hour stay in some car parks would rise from £1 to £1.20, while in others it would have gone up from 70p to 90p.

Long stay car parking fees were to remain unchanged, as were contract schemes, which allow people to buy three months parking at a time.

The plans were confirmed as an independent retail report suggested Blackburn would lose 18,000 shoppers to out-of-town retail parks this year - many switching because of free park on offer elsewhere.

David Cotton, president of the Blackburn and District Chamber of Trade, said: "Whoever thought putting the prices up before Christmas like this was off their rocker.

"I'm over the moon the Evening Telegraph has highlighted the plans as it did, and as a result things have changed.

"We'd rather have no rise at all, but if it is going to come, I'd rather it came in January than in November."