A SHOPPING centre has replaced its car park ticket operation with a coin system to make it faster, more reliable and environmentally friendly.

Durham's Prince Bishops Shopping Centre manager Richard Toynbee said: "Being Durham's first available city centre car park when arriving into Durham from the A1, we are naturally very busy, and the new system should alleviate queuing at peak times.

"By using reusable coins, we also cut back on the amount of printed paper that the tickets produced, giving Mother Nature a helping hand."

The coins contain a microchip, which registers the duration of the stay, which will help gather data for the centre to find out more about shopping habits.