WORK has started on the installation of state-of-the-art, solar-powered car parking meters, designed to give drivers more ways to pay and display.

It is part of a £110,000 refurbishment programme that will see the replacement of 27 out-of-date and obsolete coin-only meters in 13 East Hampshire District Council-owned car parks in Alton and Petersfield.

The new chip-and-pin Parkeon meters will allow people to pay by debit and credit card, and include Wave contactless payment as well as accepting coins, but they will not give change as at present.

They will make data-gathering easier to give the council an insight into parking trends and usage. The card-processing company charges a 22p handling fee per transaction when payment is made by debit or credit card.

When agreeing the project in February, council members were told the existing meters were more than 10 years old and parts were no longer available to repair them.

Parking in many villages including in Midhurst Road, Liphook, is free but with some time restrictions.