Ticket machine thefts to cost taxpayer £40,000

Motorists would need to use a card or app to pay for parking for the time being, the council said

The theft of cash from pay and display ticket machines and subsequent damage will cost the taxpayer £40,000, a council has said.

Lancaster City Council said 10 of its pay and display machines across car parks in Lancaster and Morecambe had been damaged, with cash boxes attached to the machines cut open and coins removed.

The incidents, which the council said were being investigated by police, have been taking place since the end of August, with four over the past week alone.

The cost of replacing the machines, along with the theft of money, is estimated to be around £40,000, a council spokesperson added.

'Disappointing decision'

The council is now putting a temporary stop to cash payments at most of its car parks.

“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," said councillor Jean Parr, cabinet member for planning and placemaking.

She said each time a machine was damaged there was a cost to replace it and she hoped police would soon 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," she added.

A council spokesperson said they had taken the decision to remove the coin boxes from all of their machines except those at St Nicholas Arcades shopping centre in Lancaster, which is locked overnight.

Customers are instead being asked to pay by card or via an app.