A SHOPPING centre car park has achieved secure status for the third consecutive year.

The car park at the Prince Bishop's Centre, in Durham, has been certified as safe by the British Parking Association and the Association of Chief Police Officers.

To qualify, it had to show that all reasonable steps had been taken to ensure the safety and security of car park users and their possessions. Prince Bishop's also demonstrated a commitment to helping the City of Durham's Community Safety Partnership.

Over the past three years, Prince Bishop's has made continual improvements to its parking facilities.

Its latest initiative is the introduction of a night-time tariff, providing visitors after 6pm with the option of leaving their car overnight to avoid drinking and driving.

Peter Bennion, centre manager at Prince Bishop's, said: "We constantly strive to keep our car parks in tip-top form and to introduce new safety and convenience initiatives for our shoppers, so to have our efforts recognised is most rewarding."