A local authority has been forced to go cashless at car parks after a string of thefts cost the borough more than £40,000 in lost revenue.
Lancaster City Council will temporarily remove cash payments from most of its car parks following thefts and damage to its pay and display machines.
Since August 10 machines have been damaged in car parks across Lancaster and Morecambe with four being wrecked last week.
On each occasion, the cash boxes attached to the machines have been cut open and the coins removed.
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The damage caused and money stolen has been estimated to cost taxpayers around £40,000.
To prevent any more machines being damaged the council has taken the decision to remove the coin boxes from all of its machines except the one operating at St Nics in Lancaster, which is locked overnight.
Customers are instead being asked to pay by card or via the RingGo system which hopes to offer a safer alternative.
Councillor Jean Parr said: “We know that this decision will be disappointing for those who like to pay by cash, but we have no other option while a gang of thieves is actively targeting our car parks. Each time a machine is damaged there’s a cost to replace it.”
Parking machines have been cut open with the money stolen from them
PA
She added: “Hopefully the police will be able to catch the culprits and we will be able to resume normal service as soon as possible.
“In the meantime, we’d ask people to be patient and if anyone has any information about who may be responsible, please contact the police.”
But the measure has been met with fury from drivers with one person stating that not only does this penalise people who don’t or can’t have access to a mobile phone with internet, “it costs more and will mean less people will be able to access the car parks”.
The person shared: “Which in turn means less people will go shopping in areas they are unable to park. What about the pensioners that don’t have a mobile or use the internet, that rely on the car parks as they are closer to the shopping centre or shop they need.
Another person warned: “The council are worried about a few coins when patients, disabled & pensioners are getting £70 fines for parking in Lancaster doctors’ surgeries or hospitals by the racketeers that are PARKING EYE..who’s the real criminals here??
“Furthermore, why are they creeping round the hospital car park at 9.30pm in the evening (last night ) if there are people parked there at that time of night, they clearly have a good & probably unfortunate reasons to be!!!! Predator behaviour!”
A final person commented: “Local authorities and charities have raised concerns about the impact of cashless parking systems on elderly drivers.
“For example, some councils in the UK have received complaints about elderly residents being unable to use parking meters that only accept card or app-based payments.”
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The council has issued a temporary pause on cash machines
PA
The council added that drivers are reminded that paying for parking at all the council’s pay & display car parks is still required and card payments and RingGo are still available.
“Non-payment of parking fees may result in a penalty charge notice being issued,” the authority detailed.
