A SMALL change in currency has left some Dorset councils forking out to convert parking ticket machines.

Currently Poole has a warning message on its 103 pay and display machines stating the 2012 issue of 5p and 10p coins cannot be used. It will cost £20,000 of tax payers’ money to convert them.

Introduced earlier in the year to save the Treasury up to £8million a year, the 5p and 10p coins are made from cheaper steel rather than the more expensive cupro-nickel.

As steel weighs slightly less, to keep them the same weight and diameter, they have to be slightly thicker at 1.9mm rather than 1.7mm for a 5p.

That is enough to make many coin slot machines reject them, frustrating motorists who have to hunt about for older coins.

“It wasn’t anticipated that they would be of different weight and composition to the original coins and as a result all the council’s machines have to be upgraded,” said Cllr Phil Eades.

Jason Benjamin, parking services manager, Borough of Poole said: “In Poole we have over 100 pay and display machines and due to the cost involved in converting them all, it was agreed the work would be done in phases. We prioritised the most used machines in Poole and hope to have the first group of machines completed shortly.

“We apologise to customers for the inconvenience caused while this work takes place but hope people will understand that we cannot afford to replace all the machines at once.”

Dorset County Council has converted 28 machines at a cost of £70 each, while an older machine costs £300, making a total of £2,260.

Bournemouth Borough Council converted its 173 pay-and-display machine at a cost of £9,090 and the pay-on-exit machines at Richmond Gardens cost £2,013.