NEW regulations to prevent motorists cheating on car park charges come into force on November 13.

Cherwell District Council is changing its pay-and-display car park ticket machines and in future drivers will have to key in their vehicle registration numbers when they buy a ticket.

The change is being introduced to combat fraud as the council seeks to reduce payment evasion and the cancelling of many excess charge notices issued for non-payment.

Andrew Fulljames, the council's executive member for property and regeneration, said: "At Cherwell we have a fair policy. If a notice is issued for a vehicle not displaying a ticket, the £50 fine is invariably cancelled if the driver subsequently produces a valid ticket for the time the notice was issued. "Increasingly, we are finding that tickets are being produced retrospectively and we suspect that non-payers are obtaining used tickets from drivers who have paid."

"The change will only affect drivers who believe they can defraud the council in this way.

"We are following the example of many councils who have already made such a change.

"We apologise if our customers have to take a little more time at the ticket machines but our staff will be on hand to help them during the changeover."

The council is also changing its regulations for blue badge holders.

Disabled drivers will continue to be exempt from charges in Cherwell's car parks, but will be limited to the maximum period of stay in the car park.

Mr Fulljames said: "Up to now we have allowed blue badge holders unlimited stay, but this has led to complaints from other drivers that they have been unable to find short-stay places close to the town centre. I hope this change will make the situation fairer for everybody."