THE first cash-free car parking machines in Bournemouth are set to be installed at Hengistbury Head in the next few weeks.

Speaking on behalf of Bournemouth council’s cabinet member for transport, Cllr Mike Greene, Cllr Blair Crawford said that they were looking to move away from being able to use coins to pay for parking across the borough.

Parking machines at the Hengistbury Head car park were damaged “beyond repair” by vandals at the beginning of August leaving phone payments as the only way to pay charges.

However, speaking at Tuesday’s meeting, Cllr Crawford said that new machines would be arriving in the next few weeks.

Cllr Crawford said: “There was a convenience charge of 8p for people paying for parking by phone.

“However, the council has now absorbed this charge with the intention to move away from coin payments over the next few years.

“Hengistbury Head will have the first cashless parking machine which is due to be installed over the next few weeks.”

At the beginning of the year Cllr Greene announced plans to replace council car parks’ “ancient and bulky” machines with new “smart” payment meters.