Motorists wanting to pay for parking along Burnham-On-Sea’s seafront are being left frustrated by out-of-action payment machines.
New spring-time payment charges have come into force over the past week along the seafront at the start of April, but several payment machines are out of operation.
Several drivers have contacted Burnham-On-Sea.com to air their frustrations, saying they are having to walk long distances to reach working machines.
“We found a parking space outside the Bay View Cafe and then realised that because the parking machine there was not working we had to walk to the nearest working meter along the seafront near Quantock Court – quite a distance when you are not especially mobile,” one elderly driver, Mike Hardy, told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
Another driver who contacted us said: “The stickers on the non-working machines simply say ‘out of order’ and unhelpfully don’t tell you which direction to go to find the closest working machine. You would have hoped the council would have repaired the machines over the winter so they’d all be working for the start of the new season.”
A spokesman for Somerset County Council, which oversees the machines, claims just three of the 11 parking machines on Burnham-On-Sea’s Esplanade are not in operation.
Speaking to Burnham-On-Sea.com, the council spokesman explained: “This is because they are exposed to the elements and the salt water can cause damage to the electrical components.”
“All were examined before they were brought back into operation but unfortunately these require substantial repairs from the manufacturer. These have been booked and will be brought back into service as soon as possible.”
