Controversial 30-minute parking restrictions on key Workington town centre streets are set to be scrapped after years of campaigning by disgruntled traders.

The county council revealed in January it was considering offering one-hour free parking in Murray Road, Finkle Street, Warwick Place, John Street and Peter Street.

A consultation was carried out earlier this year, during which concerns were raised by residents of some of the streets involved in the parking review, and the council said last week that the proposals would go back to the drawing board.

It has now decided to press ahead with the one-hour parking in Murray Road and Finkle Street, where the consultation responses were generally positive. It will retain 30-minute restrictions on the other roads, where the planned increase was less well-received.

The proposed changes will need to be approved by the council’s Allerdale local committee before it can go ahead.

If agreed, they are likely to be implemented in the autumn.

Traders such as Alan Moore, who owns Intrim Fitness, on Upton Street, have been campaigning against the 30-minute restrictions since they were first proposed in 2007.

He said: “I’m over the moon. It can’t come soon enough.

“It will certainly make a big difference for traders because you can pick up a pair of shoes, book a holiday, get a haircut, work out; an hour gives you the time to do that.

“I welcome it with open arms and hopefully it will encourage people to come into the town centre and increase the revenue and turnover so everyone is happy.”

Sue Hayman backed the traders’ fight last June as the town’s MP.

She said: “I’m really pleased to have been able to support the traders because that end of town does need support and it’s important that they don’t go out of business.

“We must continue to have a thriving town centre and if increasing the parking time is one way of encouraging people to shop, I’m all for it.

“I know when I park there at the moment that I’m constantly clock-watching and worrying about time so I don’t get to look in shops that perhaps I would if I had more time.”