Road users in Ashford and Tenterden will see a change in car parks at the end of August, as a total of 40 new parking terminals will be installed across the towns.

The existing machines which are more than 10 years old have suffered from wear and tear and technical issues, will be replaced with new machines.

New features include longevity, larger screens and various payment methods for their parking tickets, including cash, phone, credit and debit cards and contactless technology.

Drivers can purchase tickets in three steps using the touch screen to insert the last three characters of their registration number, the amount of time they wish to park for, and then pay.

A council Civil Enforcement Officer will be on hand for a short time to help people with the new machines on the day they are installed.

The council anticipates that this will reduce the need for coin collections and save money.

Any profits will go back into the council’s parking and highways projects and road safety campaigns, including the launch of the council’s new mascot Moreline the road safety hedgehog.

For more information on the car parks Ashford Borough Council manages visit www.ashford.gov.uk/parking