NEARLY 300 parking machines will be replaced ready for the introduction of the new 12-sided £1 coin.

Workers will start this month to replace the 298 machines in Brighton and Hove.

The move will see most parking machines in the city switched to pay by card as part of a £1.8 million investment to improve reliability and cut theft.

Since 2008, £150,000 has been stolen from parking machines in Brighton and Hove.

In a three-month period last year, there were 51 incidents of theft or attempted theft, netting thieves almost £15,000 and causing £30,000 damage.

The new machines will accept both chip-and-pin and contactless card payments.

The majority of the old machines need replacing, with many beginning to rust.

Half the new machines will accept cards as well as coins.

These will be clearly branded as accepting cash and strategically placed where they are most likely to be needed.

Drivers will also still be able to pay for their parking by phone or in cash at any of the city’s 150 PayPoint outlets

A map and list of the 150 cash and card machines and 150 PayPoint shops where you can still pay by cash is available on the council’s website.