WITH all main seafront car parks closed and nearby roads coned off for next week's Lowestoft Air Festival, visitors travelling by road are advised to use the park and ride scheme which will be in operation on Thursday and Friday.

WITH all main seafront car parks closed and nearby roads coned off for next week's Lowestoft Air Festival, visitors travelling by road are advised to use the park and ride scheme which will be in operation on Thursday and Friday.

Police will be operating a strict tow-away system for any vehicles parked in restricted areas.

To keep traffic delays to a minimum, Suffolk police are advising people who live near the seafront to walk to the festival or take a bus if possible.

People able to walk to the park and ride sites may board the shuttle buses for a fee of �2.

Costing �10 per car, the Air Festival park and ride sites are just off the A12 to the north and south of Lowestoft at Dip Farm, Corton, and at the Africa Alive animal adventure park at Kessingland.

Both sites will be open from 8am each day with the first buses leaving at 8.30am. With no Thursday fireworks display this year the last return buses for both sites will be at 7.30pm on both days.

A fleet of modern buses owned by Suffolk County Council is being used to run a shuttle service to and from the seafront at 10 to 30-minute intervals.

More buses will be used than last year to hopefully avoid delays, provided that the bascule bridge does not open mid morning. The port authority, ABP, is working closely with the air festival and will only open the bridge if a commercial ship needs to pass through.

Limited parking and walk sites are available at Pakefield Cliffs car park, a short distance from South Beach (for �7 a car) and at Asda's car park on Horn Hill (for �10 a car, which includes a donation to the air festival).

Disabled car parking is available at Belvedere Road car park where coaches may also park. There is no parking for disabled cars on the seafront.

There will, however, be a limited wheelchair minibus service from both park and ride sites.

All through traffic is being encouraged to use an alternative route via Oulton Broad.

Extra uniformed police and plain clothes officers will be on duty throughout the air festival.

For more information telephone 01502 533600 or log on to the official website: www.lowestoftairfestival.co.uk