Dozens of car park payment machines across Dorset are currently out of action – reducing council income.

The problem, lasting more than a year, has now led to Dorset Council to say it will replace most of the machines across the county.

Highways director Matthew Piles said that 60 machines will be replaced in the next six months with another 200, or more, after that.

He told councillors that the authority has been coping with a range of different machines, many of them old and difficult to get spare parts for, since the unitary council was created in the spring of 2019.

“In one case we have five different machines in just one car park,” he told an audit and governance committee meeting.

Although the council has been using parking app, Just Park, many places do not have enough signal for it to work and many people wanting to park do not have smart phones.

Dorset Council did not answer how much money is being lost, or how many machines are currently not working, or what they will cost to replace,  issuing the following statement on the situation: “We do currently have a number of machines that are not working for all payment types, or are requiring a high level of maintenance to keep them operational. Due to the age and condition of our current machines a decision has been made to replace them across the area.

“Replacement machines will be simple to use and allow customer to pay with either cash or card. The role out of the machines will start shortly and it is expected to take 18 months to fully complete. The machines that we have to repair most often will be replaced first, prioritising the busiest areas.

“We have seen a large move towards app payment and card payment in the last few years. To ensure that this can be achieved easily we will be looking at signal quality in the car parks, improving this with boosters when required.

“Our aim is to make paying for parking a quick and easy process, removing any frustration or uncertain.”