A GRANDMOTHER said confusing cashless car park machines in Worcester are causing her to lose independence.

Pamela Price, who lives on the outskirts of Pershore, explained no longer uses the city centre car parks as she fears queues building up as she struggles to use the machines.

The 78-year-old now takes extreme measures to avoid the car park machines by parking at her daughter's house in St Peters and taking the bus into the city centre.

READ MORE: Scammers target pub's customers after free drink and meal competition

Not all of the machines in the city centre are cashless with five of the city council's lowest-demand car parks switching to RingGo app and phoneline payment.

Worcester News: PARKING: Cashless parking has been highlighted as an issue for elderly people in Worcester by Age UK.PARKING: Cashless parking has been highlighted as an issue for elderly people in Worcester by Age UK. (Image: NQ)

"Why can't they make it simple," Mrs Price said.

"I park on my daughter's drive in St Peters and take the bus because I would rather not use [the machines].

"It takes time to digest information, and a queue is building up behind you, and the people behind are starting to get irate, and I get flustered.

"So I use the bus service but it shouldn't be like that. I should have my independence.

"It is okay for savvy people who know how to use the apps, but I always have cash - I like cash."

READ MORE: 'Anger' as balloon festival goers say they are still waiting for refunds

Earlier this week, Age UK revealed it has experienced calls in Worcestershire from elderly people who fear they are being 'digitally excluded' by cashless machines.

Mrs Price, who had worked previously in Worcester for most of her life, added that the city is an anomaly as she does not have these issues when she visits other towns.

Cllr Lynn Denham, joint leader of Worcester City Council, said: "It was a finely balanced decision that the city council made about this.

"We were mindful that the previous provider caused a lot of issues with payments, so we want to ensure that would not happen again.

"In my role as a councillor, I have spoken to many people who are happy with non-cash options of payment, with many opting to not even carry cash any more.

"However, it is important to mention that not all car parks are becoming non-cash only, and there are still parking options in the city for cash."

RingGo charges 20p extra per hourly rate than the fees listed on the Worcester City Council parking charges on its website.

This is due to a “convenience fee” for all pay-by-phone transactions to the provider.