Car park ticket machines in the city centre’s multi-storey car park have been unable to take the new £5 notes until now.

Herts Advertiser: £5 notices£5 notices (Image: Archant)

Motoristss going to pay at the machines in the Russell Avenue and Drovers Way car parks in recent weeks were presented with a notice saying that the machines did not accept the new polymer £5 notes.

The sign advised them that operators NCP were working to find a solution - and they had clearly found it yesterday (Wednesday) when the notices were finally removed.

St Albans council’s head of legal, democratic and regulatory services, Michael Lovelady, said: “Our contractors NCP say the ticket machines were configured some time ago to accept the new £5 note.

“However, it recently became apparent they were not working as they should and notices went up to that effect.”

Herts Advertiser: £5 notices£5 notices (Image: Archant)

He added: “Engineers from the machine providers have since been reprogramming every machine to ensure they accept the new £5. We apologise for any inconvenience this hitch has caused to anyone using the car parks in question.”

* Seven car park machines across the district, including at Westminster Lodge in St Albans, have been targeted by vandals in the past few weeks.

The Westminster Lodge pay and display ticket machines were last vandalised in 2014 and the council was left to foot the bill for new ones as well as having to admit it had lost thousands of pounds in revenue because of the length of time they were out of operation.

A council spokesperson said that most of the vandalised machines had now been repaired and police had been informed about the incidents. NCP had stepped up security in its car parks, he added.