FREE parking will be introduced at a struggling shopping centre to boost trade.

Bosses at the Victoria, in Southend, have announced the mall’s multi-storey car park will be free for three hours on Wednesdays and Thursdays from late September until early December.

The move comes after it was revealed the number of customers had fallen by 10,000 a week compared to last year. Currently, 45 of the 79 shops stand empty.

Jonathan Poole, the Vic-toria’s director, said he expected the scheme to attract more shoppers to the centre He added: “Our free parking scheme is one way in which we can reward shoppers who have helped the centre to continue to perform well, despite the current difficult economic climate.

“We hope the scheme will also support our tenants and their businesses.”

At the moment, parking in one of the Victoria’s 670 spaces costs £2.20 for a three-hour stay.

The centre will waive that charge between 11am and 2pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Sunday parking remains free.

The idea has been welcomed by traders, who say the recession and the year-long roadwork projects at Progress Road, Cuckoo Corner and Victoria Gateway, have hit them hard.

John Lamb, Tory deputy leader of Southend Council, said he would “love” to replicate the scheme elsewhere, “because it encourages shopping and helps businesses”.

But he added: “The problem is car park revenue is a major source of income for the council, and without it we would have to make cuts elsewhere.”