A car park in Ashford that has been closed for 10 months will partially reopen next week, council bosses have confirmed.

Work to upgrade the Park Mall car park has been sped up after the lifts in nearby Edinburgh Road were closed last week following a safety inspection.

The closure of the lifts has left disabled residents without accessible parking with visitors instead encouraged to park elsewhere or use the stairwell.

As a result, the ground floor spaces at Park Mall are being prepared to open on Monday.

Once up and running, the site is set to have new number-plate recognition cameras and will be cashless.

An Ashford Borough Council (ABC) spokesman said: "We are pleased to announce that the ground floor of Park Mall car park will be open for use from Monday (July, 18).

"This is a phased opening while we continue repair works on the first floor and the car park will only be accepting cashless payments for now.

"In light of the lift closure at Edinburgh Road car park we have been working hard to bring the opening date forward.”

The three lifts in Edinburgh Road will remain closed 'for the foreseeable future' until new parts arrive however the car park remains open.

They have a reputation for being unreliable as they broke down 53 times in two years and people have been getting stuck in them.

The Park Mall car park closed with just 32 hours notice in September after its operator NCP decided to shut the site.

The authority then took over operations and planned to open the 300-space facility in May with reduced fees and automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR) technology, similar to that already used in Elwick Place.

Delays meant the opening was then pushed back to 'summer' with the opening date now confirmed.

Cleaners were spotted jet-washing the ground floor last month, with more contractors working on the site this week.

The hourly rate at the car park before it closed was £1.60, with four to 24 hours costing £5.60.

Under ABC's control, it is now due to cost £1 per hour up to four hours, and £5 for anything over four hours.