One Bicester parking meter has literally gone green overnight after a council installed the district’s first solar powered ticket machine.

Motorists using the Cherwell District Council-run car park in Market Square will be pumping cash into the machine which is powered purely by daylight.

It works by the sun/daylight charging a battery, so will still function at night, and will save the council about £50 a year in electricity costs.

Cherwell opted for a solar powered machine after it was decided the previous ticket machine needed replacing. It cost £3,800 to buy and install the new machine.

The council ensured it was not out of pocket for the period between the old machine being removed and the new one installed because it posted a traffic warden at the spot to collect parking fees.

If the new ticket machine proves a success it could be rolled out across the district, the council said.

Cherwell’s deputy leader George Reynolds said: “We took the opportunity to test a new type of machine which is more accessible for everyone and provides some ecological benefits.”