A PARK and ride scheme held during a popular town fair is to continue, but showmen are being asked to foot the bill.

The initiative was introduced to ease traffic problems during Northallerton's May Fair, with 227 people using the service this year.

The original scheme was funded jointly by department store Barkers, Northallerton Chamber of Trade and the Showmen's Guild, which each provided £150.

But now Hambleton District Council is considering including the total cost of the coach hire in the licence for the fair.

Chief executive Peter Simpson said the authority's policy was that the level of the licence would be set to cover the full cost of running the fair.

But the increased cost of signs and advertising has meant that during the last two years the fair has had a deficit of £750.

Mr Simpson said traders had suggested that as car parking spaces for shoppers were taken up by show vehicles during the event, the showmen should be asked to pay a greater proportion of the costs.

He said: "Given that the licence for the fair has now expired it is proposed that the negotiations with the Showmen's Guild should take account of the net operating deficit and that the fee should be set to cover full cost over the next three years."

Mr Simpson said the park and ride, which cost £1.98 per passenger to operate this year, would start at 10am next year instead of 9am, and finish at 5pm.