A SECOND political group has come out against a call for five rural market towns in Northumberland to be given a week’s free parking in the run-up to Christmas.

A motion by the Conservative group - which requests a seven-day suspension of parking charges in Berwick, Alnwick, Morpeth, Hexham and Corbridge - will be debated by the county council today .

Tory councillors say the concession would provide a boost for shops and businesses in the vital Christmas trading period.

But Coun Andrew Tebbutt, an executive member of the council’s ruling Liberal Democrat group, described the Tory proposal as a “recipe for chaos”.

He said enforcing time limits in car parks in the five communities would be virtually impossible if drivers didn’t have to buy and display parking tickets on their cars.

Now the motion has also been opposed by the Labour group, which has branded it “ill-judged, too late and not thought out.

Labour group leader Coun Grant Davey said: “We think this is a major issue all year round, and we should be supporting businesses throughout the year.”