New Brighton’s escalating road congestion problems will be partly eased by the introduction of a free shuttle bus service throughout the summer.

The buses – wholly funded by the Department of Transport – will run from Harrison Drive to the Floral Pavilion theatre with drop-off points at key attractions along the way.

Day trippers will also be able to flag the buses down at any point along the route.

A Wirral Council spokesman said the scheme was aimed at encouraging people heading for the resort to park on the carriageway adjacent to the seafront “dips.”

Operated by Stagecoach through Merseyside’s local sustainable transport fund, the service will run from noon to 5pm every Saturday and Sunday until early September.

Councillor Pat Hackett, Wirral Council cabinet member for economy and regeneration, said: “The unprecedented success of our ongoing regeneration of New Brighton has led to us needing to consider how we can alleviate some of the congestion caused by the extra traffic.

“We are investing £1.5m in improvements including creating more parking spaces this year, and this shuttle bus service is another way of improving the transport infrastructure and keeping the momentum going.”

Councillor Hackett recently acknowledged that some form of parking on the popular dips could be inevitable to relieve pressure on the roads around New Brighton.

But he ruled out any prospect of the local authority charging for parking at New Brighton and its approach roads.

He said: “The fact that parking is free makes New Brighton a big attraction.

"We don’t want to scare people awy just at a time when things are starting to pick up dramatically.”

Cllr Hackett explained that King’s Parade seafront area under consideration for possible parking was the strip of land next to the railway embankment – not the sunken dips popular for recreation and dog walking.