Controversial changes to a car park's payment system did not have the required planning permission to go ahead, it has been confirmed.
Maiden's Walk car park in Hexham, Northumberland - which serves shoppers at Marks and Spencer and B&M - recently switched from a cash machine payment system to an automatic number plate recognition system.
Adderstone Group, the Newcastle-based company that owns the car park, admitted there had been "teething problems" when the system was first introduced that saw a number of motorists incorrectly fined, but insisted those issues had now been solved.
