Eastbourne: Beacon shopping centre car park to go cashless from January

The car park for the Beacon shopping centre in Eastbourne will be cashless in the new year

A shopping centre car park in East Sussex is preparing to go cashless.

From 1 January, only debit and credit cards will be accepted for the car park at the Beacon shopping centre in Eastbourne.

"Touch and go" card payment points are being set up at the exit barriers to operate alongside five machines by the car park lifts near Sainsbury's and Primark.

Signage is being put up around the machines and in the car park.

The current ticket system, offering both cards and coins, has "reached the end of its life", the centre said.

The shopping centre added: "Most drivers now use cards at the machines. They see this as the quickest method for payment and it avoids having to find the right change."

Although the machines are working well, the use of foreign and damaged coins can make them "jam-up" and cause delays, centre general manager Mark Powell explained.

He said: "Nobody wants to join a long queue at the ticket machines, so we have decided to convert them into card-only."

"We do not anticipate any problems with the switch, but our security staff are always on hand to help out," Mr Powell added.

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