A CAR park at a retail park in Kirklees has won an award for security.

The Birstall Shopping Park just off Junction 27 of the M62 in Birstall has won the Park Mark safer parking award.

The award is given by the Association of Chief Police Officers and run by the British Parking Association.

It has replaced the Secured Car Park Award.

To qualify, a car park must have good standards of safety and security and also have lower crime levels than the nearby streets.

Pc Gerry Gallagher, Huddersfield police's crime reduction officer, said: "To gain this award car parks have to feel safe, with no evidence that users are fearful of a crime occurring there.

"We have been working closely with the shopping park to ensure the car park maintains high security standards.

"A car park which has little or no crime is obviously much more tempting for customers to park in than one that suffers regularly from damage and thefts."

The retail park's manager, Denis Copeland, said: "By belonging to this scheme we are showing our commitment to providing a safe, non-threatening environment for our customers."