A multi-storey car park will no longer be accepting cash from next month.

The Rochester Riverside multi-storey car park will be putting this into place on November 10, making it the first in Medway to become cashless.

The Rochester multi-storey car park became ticketless last year and uses automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras.

You can currently pay by using the Go Mobon app on your phone, and from Tuesday November 1 you will be able to pay using RingGo PayLater.

If using RingGo PayLater, you do not need to pay for parking until you return to your vehicle.

For this method, an ANPR camera will record your time of arrival and once you get back to your car you need to open the app or website and pay on there.

You will have to select your location code, your duration of stay and drive to the barrier which will open.

Alternatively, those using the car park need to enter their registration details into the parking kiosks when they leave and pay for their parking using a card.

You can also use the contactless card option at the barrier, to pay for the balance of your parking.

Residents can sign up for an online parking account and AutoPay option, which will record when a registered vehicle enters and leaves the car park and automatically bills the account holder’s payment account, without the need to go over to the kiosks or use an app.

Blue Badge holders will be able to park free, but must register their badge details before entering the car park. Only one vehicle can be registered for the car park, and the Blue Badge needs to continue to be displayed.

Cllr Phil Filmer, Medway Council’s portfolio holder for frontline services, said: "Since the pandemic, there has been a reduction in the number of people who pay for their parking using cash.

"Since January 2022, only 1.7% of motorists who use this popular car park have paid for their parking using cash.

"Plans are under way to introduce ANPR in other car parks in Rochester and more information will be announced in due course.”

Derek Munton, of the Medway Pensioners' Forum, said: "Cashless can be a big problem – if the system depends on an app then not do you have to have the app and you need a smart phone.

"Many older people do not use a smart phone because it is more nuisance than it is worth.

"Some older people choose not to use a mobile phone, so putting a number on the car park machine to contact and pay can be a problem.

"A mobile that is useful sitting in a quite comfortable situation may not be so useful in a noisy car park.

"If someone is older and a little hard of hearing, holding the mobile in one hand while listening to a recorded message and trying to use another hand to follow whatever instructions there are to be followed can be hard.

"Some older people do not like using a card in a public place anyway as it could so easily be snatched.

"As you get older it is more difficult to learn a new system of any sort."