ABBEY House Gardens in Malmesbury has secured 15 to 20 car parking spaces for visitors near the Old Station Yard car park.

In a deal struck with Malmesbury River Valley Trust visitors will be able to use land at the entrance to the Conygre Mead nature reserve until the end of October.

The number of visitors rose threefold this year after the gardens were featured on a half hour BBC Gardeners' World programme last year.

Garden owners Barbara and Ian Pollard also appeared in the News of the World newspaper with nothing but box hedges hiding their modesty.

Mrs Pollard said they had been looking at the possibility of parking at the cricket club, but the land owned by the trust seemed a better solution.

She said: "Our operation does highlight underlying car parking difficulties in Malmesbury in peak months and on certain days of the week.

"The area will be chained off for the use of our visitors and we hope the spaces will keep any disruption we cause to a minimum."

The couple have paid the trust for the spaces but there is no agreement for the arrangement to continue next year.

Mr and Mrs Pollard hired an earth mover to prepare the area for parking.

In recent months there has been concern in the town that the additional traffic and disruption outweighed the benefits of the extra business.

A survey by Malmesbury Chamber of Commerce last month, however, found that its members were overwhelmingly in support of the gardens.

The chamber, the town council and North Wiltshire District Council welcomed the additional parking spaces.

Malmesbury district councillor Patrick Goldstone said: "Abbey House gains parking, the river valley trust gains income and the town benefits from some extra car parking."

Chamber of commerce chairman Alan Woodward said additional parking space was always welcome.

He said: "I am very happy there will be more spaces. Anything will help the situation, but I don't think it is the whole problem and more parking needs to be found in the town."