DIGGING around for the correct change to feed the parking machine may be a thing of the past thanks to the introduction of cashless parking.

East Sussex County Council will add the alternative payment method to on street parking in Lewes, Hastings and Eastbourne from July 21.

The county council has signed up with RingGo to offer shoppers, visitors and residents the option of paying for parking with credit or debit cards using a smartphone app, text message or by phone.

The scheme will also be extended to the Seven Sisters Country Park car park.

Customers will be able to park their car, contact RingGo by smartphone app, phone, SMS or online, and pay the parking charge. They will even be able to extend their stay without returning to their car.

“There is nothing more frustrating than parking your car only to find that you do not have the correct change for the machine,” said Cllr Carl Maynard, the county council’s lead member for transport and environment. “This new system will offer a simple alternative for motorists to pay by card from their mobile phone.

“As well as making it easier for drivers to pay for on-street parking, the system will also allow them to top up their time without having to walk back to their car.”

For motorists parking regularly in on-street bays, there is an option to pre-register online or by using the RingGo smartphone app, giving their vehicle’s make, registration number and colour and payment details.

Alternatively people can register at the time of parking by using the RingGo app or calling the number advertised on the machines.

There will also be an optional text reminder service. For a cost of 10p, customers can be notified 10 minutes before their parking time is due to run out enabling them to extend their stay.

The alternative system does not use pay and display tickets as civil enforcement officers will be able to check which vehicles have paid to park.

Cllr Maynard added: “Ticket machines will still be available to use for on-street parking, but we are hoping that this system will slowly reduce the need for tickets making the entire system more environmentally friendly.

“While RingGo charges a small administration fee to motorists, East Sussex County Council will receive 100 per cent of the parking charge.”

When the new system launches, posters will be placed on all on-street parking machines with instructions on how to use RingGo.