Motorists pump money into fake parking machines

Fake parking machines have been set up in a car park to take money from unsuspecting motorists.

Concerned residents and business owners contacted the council when they spotted the unauthorised machines on land in Sunderland.

The council-owned site had been free until the two machines, which charge 50p an hour, appeared without warning on Monday.



Sunderland Council has confirmed that it had not given permission to install the machines near the Museum Vaults pub, on Silksworth Row, and is attempting to trace the owners.

Paula Thompson, from Ryhope, runs the nearby Made to Measure soft furnishing business. "Nobody has any idea where the machines came from," she said. "Somebody comes out maybe once or twice a day to empty the money, but we haven't managed to catch them yet. There was a lot of money in the machines, so they must have made a fortune."

Ms Thompson said the car park is popular with workers and shoppers and is regularly full on weekends. The unauthorised machines could make up to £400 a day at the 80 vehicle Hope Street site.