BIG changes are coming to payment methods across 14 car parks in Worcester.

Credit and debit card payments will be available again in Worcester City Council’s car parks from next month after thousands of drivers were incorrectly charged hundreds of pounds by city council car parks for sessions that they hadn't used in September last year.

Worcester City Council is working with a new partner, Metric Group, to introduce the new machines, following the issues, which meant all 14 car parks have been cash-only ever since.

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The Council is also changing arrangements at five of its lowest-demand car parks so that payment can only be made through the RingGo app and Phoneline.

Clare Street, Tallow Hill, Tybridge Street, Commandery Road and The Moors are all affected, with the latter open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays only.

The council has made this decision in response to a steep drop in the value of cash payments at each of these car parks.

These affected car parks have 359 spaces out of the total 2316 car spaces available across Worcester City Council’s estate, although the 101 spaces at The Moors are only available at the weekends.

Lloyd Griffiths, Worcester City Council Director of Operations, Homes and Communities, said: “I would like to thank our customers for their patience following last year’s payment problems and I am sure they will all understand why we took the decision to temporarily suspend card payments.

“Our new partnership with Metric Group will enable us to restore the levels of convenience and dependability that drivers using our car parks rightly expect."

Customers at the affected five locations will be able to pay either by downloading the RingGo app to their smartphone or by calling the payment line on 01905 880055.

The payment line phone number is prominently displayed in all of the Council’s car parks.

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Worcester City Council is parting company with its current payment machine supplier, Flowbird, after problems with the company’s systems.

All the excess payments were subsequently refunded.

All 14 of the city council’s car parks have recently been awarded the 'Park Mark' in recognition of their high levels of safety, cleanliness and tidiness, and clear signage.

The Park Mark is awarded by the independent national body the Safer Parking Scheme.