A LONG queue was forming at Crowngate Shopping Centre today for people to pay for parking. The wait was reportedly due to a new car park barrier system which relies on number plate recognition.

It is believed the queue was forming because shoppers couldn't remember their vehicle registration plate number number.

The queue has now reduced.

A spokesperson for Crowngate Shopping Centre said: “We are sorry that shoppers have had to wait longer than usual to get out of the car park at Crowngate today. We have installed new equipment in our car park which records the number plate of each vehicle, and this has resulted in some shoppers taking a little longer to pay for their parking. For today, we’ve put more staff on site to help people as they pay and also allowed those who have been queueing for long periods to exit without delay.

Shoppers will need their number plate to use our new payment machines and so we would encourage shoppers to take a note of their number plate before starting their visit, if it is not already memorised.”