Important information has been issued to Gloucestershire motorists today in response to concerns over whether car parking meters are able to accept new one pound coins.

Council officials said work was under way in Cheltenham and Gloucester to allow off-street and on-street meters to accept both the new one pound coins, which were introduced around the UK yesterday, and the old one pound coins that are being phased out gradually.

A Gloucester City Council spokesman said: "The contractors are on site working their way around our the pay and display machines in the council's off-street car parks to allow them to accept the new coins and they will all be modified by the end of the week, apart from six machines which we are replacing altogether and they will be clearly signed.

"All the machines will continue to accept the old coins until they cease to be legal tender in October."

A Gloucestershire County Council spokesman said: "Work has started to enable on-street parking meters in Cheltenham to take new £1 coins.

"Meters in Gloucester will be upgraded during April, when converted machines will be able to take both old and new coins until the middle of October when the old style stops becoming legal tender."

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