CONVERSION of ticket machines in Ludlow and other parts of Shropshire was taking place this week (w/c August 14).

There has been a delay in converting machines to accept the new £1 coin but Shropshire Council says that the process in those parts of the county, including Ludlow, where it has not been done is now taking place.

Machines have already been converted in Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth and Much Wenlock.

“We appreciate that this is frustrating for many people and apologise for any inconvenience caused,” said Steve Davenport, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport.

“However, this work will soon be complete and we thank people for their patience while it is carried out.

“In the meantime, all of our pay-and-display parking machines will accept all other denominations of UK coins.”

But Andy Boddington, Shropshire Councillor for Ludlow North says it is not good enough.

“In 1984, I was having lunch in a hotel in Baker Street with several people from the Royal Mint,” said Andy Boddington.

“In a lively discussion over beers one lunchtime, the conversation strayed from the topic of our training course, an obscure computer programming language, to the almost new pound coin.

“One of the guys from the Mint raged against what he said was a travesty in coin design. He threw a £1 coin into the air and it fell to the floor of the bar with a clunk. ‘Hear that!’ he cried. ‘It didn’t ring, it clunked.’

“Over lunch, we were briefed on why coins should ring when dropped.

“It is true to say that old £1 coin was never much loved. Clunking aside, it was a very unattractive design. And around three per cent of the coins were counterfeit.

“But now people are wandering the streets of Ludlow and other Shropshire towns desperate to see an old coin because our parking meters have yet to be converted.

“Across the county, 73 parking machines refuse to take the new pound coin.”