'˜Ensure parking meters are seagull bomb proof'

Councillors agreed to spend £97,000 on new meters for rural car parks that take coins, cards, and contactless payments on Tuesday.

Similar facilities were rolled out across Chichester city car parks earlier this year and the new machines will have solar panels, saving money and electricity.

Officers explained the new machines came with a coastal protection pack to reduce any corrosion, in relation to coastal areas such as Selsey.

Raising the issue of seagulls, John Connor, cabinet member for environment services, asked: “How bomb proof are these new machines?”

Officers said the machines would be cleaned regularly and there was an anti-corrosive effect to the way the meters are made.

Tony Dignum, leader of the council, said: “We want to provide payment options which are modern, innovative and which meet our customers’ needs.

“We are very pleased with how these payment improvements have been received in the city centre car parks so far. It is also very encouraging that since we have introduced the new machines the number of faults reported has reduced significantly.

“Introducing this new technology will make things easier and more flexible for our residents, workers and visitors, and we look forward to rolling out these facilities in our rural car parks over the next few months.”

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