CEREDIGION County Council have no plans to replace their parking machines following a fresh rash of complaints that they are ‘very complicated’.

Aberaeron councillor Elizabeth Evans has hit out, saying the machines need an overhaul to stop deterring tourists.

Motorists have complained about being unable to easily pay for daily, rather than weekly, parking or being unable to easily change the language on the machines.

But Cllr Evans insisted that the problems had existed since the machines were first installed in 2020, and that ‘nothing has changed’.

Last summer the Tivy-Side reported on the difficulties motorists were experiencing at New Quay.

“I went to pay for my parking in the new meter and after the best part of 10 minutes finally managed to get a ticket printed,” one said.

“I walked away thinking ‘Crikey! I must be getting senile or something’, but in the time we sat in the car every other user who tried to pay struggled equally or even gave up in the case of two families.

“Having travelled somewhat both in the UK and further afield I can say - hand on heart – that these machines are by the far the worst we have ever come across.”

Cllr Evans claimed the machines were having a ‘massive’ impact on local businesses as visitors were being put off Aberaeron.

“Small businesses are complaining, not just in Aberaeron, but in Lampeter and in Cardigan as well," she added.

"If you're older and there's a queue behind you, it puts a lot of pressure on you."

However, Ceredigion County Council say changes were ‘not being actively considered or pursued at this stage’.

A spokesperson said they understood the machines were used by five other Welsh local authorities and that information provided at the machines to support the public had also been updated and improved to reflect people's feedback and experience.

"Following a system upgrade during the summer 2022, the processing and speed of transactions has improved," the spokesperson added.