Cash payments withdrawn from Lancaster City Council car parks after £40k thefts

Ten machines have been damaged in car parks across Lancaster and Morecambe since the end of August, with four of these in the last week. On each occasion the cash boxes attached to the machines have been cut open and the coins removed.

It’s estimated that the cost of replacing the machines, along with the theft of the coins inside the machines, brings the total loss to the taxpayer to around £40,000.

To prevent any more machines being damaged while the police investigate the thefts, the council has taken the decision to remove the coin boxes from all of its machines except at St Nics in Lancaster, which is locked overnight. Customers are instead being asked to pay by card or via the RingGo system.

“We know that this decision will be disappointing for those who like to pay by cash but we have no other option while a gang of thieves is actively targeting our car parks,” said Coun Jean Parr, cabinet member with responsibility for planning and placemaking.

"Each time a machine is damaged there’s a cost to replace it. Hopefully the police will be able to catch the culprits and we will be able to resume normal service as soon as possible.

"In the meantime, we’d ask people to be patient and if anyone has any information about who may be responsible, please contact the police.”