Car drivers in West Berkshire are now able to pay for their pay-and-display parking tickets using a mobile phone. The new service is up and running in Newbury, Pangbourne, Theale and Hungerford and is billed as being as more convenient for drivers.

Once people have registered with the new mPARK system - developed by electronic payment outfit alphyra mpayments - they can then bill pay-and-display tickets directly to an account backed by a credit card.

It works like this: registered customers call the telephone number displayed on a mPARK-enabled parking meter. Once the system recognises the mobile phone number it then asks the motorist to enter the unique number that identifies the parking meter number.

Then, the meter twigs what's going on and asks the driver to enter how long they want the ticket for. The meter then spews out the ticket in the normal way.

"This system is an advance that will provide customers with a convenient cashless option to pay for their parking," said Keith Chopping, West Berkshire's Councillor for Transportation.

Or, if the thought of paying for the ticket and the cost of the phone call is all too much, drivers could always use old-fashioned money to pay for their ticket. ®