Three car parks in Rochester are switching from Pay and Display to Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR).

The changeover at sites in Corporation Street, Blue Boar Lane and the Cathedral Garage car park starts soon and will be finished in October.

The ANPR cameras are linked to a computer and are installed at entrance and exit points to capture details of a vehicle upon entering and leaving. They identify if the vehicle is authorised to be on private land, flag if the driver has not paid to park or notify overstaying a time limit.

When a vehicle passes by the camera, it records an image which is automatically "read" by the computer and the vehicle registration mark (VRM) recorded.

There will be five methods of payment, including cash. Fees and timings remain the same.

Residents and businesses directly affected have been contacted by officers.

Apart from car park management, ANPR is used by private companies and the Department for Transport to monitor traffic flows.

Medway Council also wants to introduce spy cameras to target congestion-causing road hogs across the Towns.

Hundreds of fines could be dished out to crack down on rule-breakers, such as speeding drivers, if the high-tech devices get the nod.

The local authority aims to use them to monitor a variety of road restrictions.

In parts of Gillingham and Rochester high streets it will enforce no-entry policies, while in Rainham, a camera will be used to film people ignoring the right-turn ban into Orchard Street from the High Street.

Highways chiefs also plan to cover yellow box restrictions on the Rock Avenue junction with the A2 in Gillingham, the Ash Tree Lane and Canterbury Street junctions on the A2 Watling Street, Gillingham, and on the Gibraltar Hill junction on the A230 Maidstone Road in Chatham.

Residents can also have their say on proposed yellow box and access restrictions at the A228 Cuxton Road, High Street junction with Gun Lane, Strood, and pedestrian zone/no entry restrictions on Whittaker Street/High Street, Chatham, including the junction with The Brook.

The government announced councils would be able to enforce moving traffic offences, such as stopping in yellow boxes and vehicles driving down banned turns, back in 2020.