This year’s Christmas Day gathering at Elbow Beach will have a parking arrangement that should prevent South Road from being blocked by illegally parked cars.

The popular event has led to friction in the past, with vehicles left on the main road resulting in safety hazards — and parking tickets.

Police announced this afternoon that officers would be on hand to direct traffic and help motorists to find parking nearby.

A spokesman said that parking on the Horizons Golf Course had been “kindly offered by the Coral Beach for a small donation to the St Paul’s Anglican Church”.