Parking for visitors is well up to mark

A CAR park in the Derbyshire Dales has achieved the Park Mark – a national safety standard for secure sites.

Wirksworth's Canterbury Road car park is the latest to reach the national safety standard, bringing the number of Park Mark sites in the area to 18.

The Derbyshire Dales and High Peak Community Safety Partnerships created the rural secure car park standard, which has now been adopted and modified throughout the country.

Councillor Lewis Rose, chairman of the Safer Derbyshire Dales Community Safety Partnership and council leader, said: "In the three months to May there were a total of only seven recorded vehicle crimes in Wirksworth – that's a decrease of more than 22% on the same period last year.

"We are proud that Derbyshire Dales crime levels are the lowest in the county and that our residents are the least likely in England to suffer a robbery or vehicle theft.

"Park Mark status for another of our car parks is a further step forward as we continue to work hard with police and partners to maintain the Derbyshire Dales' exemplary record."

To achieve the Park Mark standard, car parks must be properly managed, maintained, and have good levels of surveillance, signage and cleanliness – all of which contribute to reducing the opportunity for crime.