Several public car parks in North Somerset have again been recognised for their safe parking.

Following independent on-site assessments by the British Parking Association (BPA) and police, nine car parks have retained the Safer Parking Scheme ‘Park Mark’.

The nine are:

• Nailsea and Backwell Station at Backwell
• Salthouse Fields and Hawthorns in Clevedon
• Worle Parkway Station (Diamond Batch) at Worle
• Locking Road, Grove Park, Melrose, Hampton and Carlton Street multi-storey in Weston-super-Mare.

The national ‘Park Mark’ scheme is run by the BPA to reduce crime and the fear of crime in car parks. Police check the car park is properly managed and maintained and has appropriate levels of surveillance and/or patrols, lighting, signage and cleanliness – all of which contribute to reducing the opportunity for crime.

In awarding ‘Park Mark’ status to the nine council-run car parks, the BPA said: “Park Mark is the only national police accreditation awarded for parking facilities in the UK. It is a public demonstration that your organisation is committed to reducing vehicle crime and anti-social behaviour in your car parks.”