Free parking on market day in Hatherleigh town car park is coming to an end at the end of March, as the town council withdraws its subsidy amid budget pressures.

The free parking every Tuesday was introduced when the weekly market moved to temporary premises as Kingswood Homes developed the old market site. Town council leader and mayor Cllr Clare Tyson said the subsidy to car park owners West Devon Borough Council was brought in to support the market through a difficult time.

‘We thought it would be a temporary measure of about a year but the build has taken a lot longer and we felt we cannot continue paying the £55 a week. It does add up and when the bill comes in it’s a bit of a shock,’ she said.

The last day of free parking will be Tuesday, March 28. The market continues to be held from 9am to 1pm each Tuesday in the community centre, until the new market building is ready.