The council has promised full refunds to those who have lost money to faulty car park machines.

More than 1,500 drivers in Worcester have been incorrectly charged, some in excess of £200, due to issues affecting machines in car parks.

The city council has now said that everyone affected will be entitled to a full refund, but they may have to wait up to a week for it to be processed.

Joint council leader, councillor Marc Bayliss, said: "We would like to offer our sincere apologies to everyone who has been affected by this issue.

"We know that people are already struggling with the cost of living crisis and we fully understand their frustration at duplicate payments being taken from their bank accounts. We'd like to assure them that anyone affected will get a full refund.

"The car park machines are operated by a large independent organisation on behalf of the city council and our officers are working round the clock to try to ensure they resolve the issue."

READ MORE: Worcester City Council car park machine fault sees man charged £200

Worcester City Council has received more than 1,500 complaints from customers over duplicate charges.

A spokesperson has stated that while the source of the issue has been found, a solution continues to evade them.

As such, the card payment option continues to be disabled on all machines and the council has now issued a contractual breach notice to the provider in respect of this incident and will be undertaking a review of current arrangements.

In response, the machine provider has assured the council that no further payment runs will be sent for processing until the issue has been solved.

It has also pledged to issue refunds within seven days to anyone who has been affected by duplicate payments being taken from their bank accounts.

Worcester News: Worcester News reporter James Connell is among those to have been incorrectly charged Worcester News reporter James Connell is among those to have been incorrectly charged (Image: Reporter James Connell with the two tickets he actually bought. Photo: Newsquest)

READ MORE: "A shambolic mess": Reporter caught up in faulty parking machine saga

Anyone affected is advised to contact their bank, as they may be able to provide a refund more quickly, and anyone facing financial hardship is advised to contact CAB on 0808 278 7891.

Furthermore, customers wishing to contact the council about the matter are asked to do so by email at parkingoffice@worcester.gov.uk or alternatively by phone on 01905 722233.