A new mobile app has been launched in the effort of boosting the 'economic and social prosperity' of Barrow.

The scheme has been kickstarted by the team at Barrow BID, who announced their partnership with Loqiva on Thursday morning.

The initiative will create a platform to manage and support the residents and businesses of Barrow, improve engagement within the community and gain insights about town centre activity.

Paul Hodgson, Manager at Barrow BID, said: "The digital town hub feeds into all of our goals, and brings us a level of digital infrastructure that will support Barrow for many years into the future.

"We are thrilled to partner with Loqiva for this really exciting addition to our town.”

The Barrow Buzz digital town hub will provide technology to support all stakeholders in the town, including the 'ultimate' town app for Barrow residents and visitors, powerful marketing tools and analytics for local businesses, and a digital headquarters for the BID.

By March, Barrow residents will be able to download the Barrow Buzz app onto their smartphones.

The app will allow them to find out about news, information, events, offers, maps, tours and trails, and mobility information in Barrow.

In addition, they will be able to shop locally, report issues, answer surveys and receive personalised content based on the weather, their location and their interests.

The levy-payers of Barrow will also have the opportunity to promote their offers and events through in-app notifications and geo-alerts.

They will benefit from analytics which allow them to understand the local trends and demographics.

The news has already been met with positive reaction from locals on social media, with several commenting on the 'brilliance' of the idea.

The Barrow Buzz app is expected to be soft-launched to businesses in this month and will be fully operational by March.