A pub on the outskirts of Northampton has made the unusual move of installing ticket machines in its car park.
The Trumpet in Wellingborough Road, Weston Favell, is close to a number of shops and a primary school.
A spokesman for the Spirit Pub Company said the decision has been made to install ticket machines because people were using the car park who were not customers of the Trumpet.
He said: “We decided to implement a pay and display parking scheme at the Trumpet to act as a deterrent against those who were not guests of the pub but were taking up parking spaces for long periods of time.
“Although we appreciate this may be an inconvenience to some of our guests, we do refund the cost of the parking to all paying guests and offer change for any guests who are caught short.
“Since we installed the parking scheme we have received positive feedback regarding improved access during peak times, such as Saturday lunch time.”
Tickets to park in the pub car park cost £1 for three hours or £5 for all day.