No more pay and dismay! Business booms in town where parking meters were vandalised

Business is booming in one Welsh town where parking meters have been out of action for the last month.

Firms in Cardigan, mid-Wales, feared their sales would seriously drop after the pay-and-display machines were vandalised in June.

They’d initially been installed to boost trade - with councillors saying they’d prevent traffic congestion which could drive people to out of town malls.

So business owners have been pleasantly surprised in recent weeks after experiencing an actual upturn in commerce.

“While we’d never condone criminal activity, the fact remains traders throughout town are reporting a rise in footfall since those machines were put out of action,” said Martin Radley, chairman of the Cardigan Traders association.

He claimed there was now a “level playing field” in that everyone could enjoy free parking, not just at the supermarkets.

“We are finding people are staying longer in town and spending more money,” he added.

The upsurge in trade may not last for much longer, however.

Although Ceredigion County Council said it is struggling to fund the £24,000 cost of replacing the devices, a spokesman revealed an interim system may be used.

The authority also revealed it was “committed to getting the machines working as soon as possible.”

(picture credits to Photofusion/REX Shutterstock and Connection/REX Shutterstock)