The cameras are coming down and the pressure is off for Folkestone motorists. After a year of glitches, queues, and constant feedback from frustrated locals, Folkestone & Hythe District Council has confirmed that the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) trial at Sandgate Road car park is officially being binned.
On Tuesday 31 March, the high-tech experiment will be decommissioned, returning the site to the traditional pay-and-display system that residents have been calling for since the pilot launched in February 2024.
The decision comes as a relief to anyone who has tried to leave the car park after a packed show at the Leas Cliff Hall, only to be met with long queues and a system that couldn’t keep up with the rush. While the council originally hoped the technology would streamline parking across the district, the reality on the ground was far messier. Between technical hiccups where cameras failed to read number plates correctly and recurring issues with vandalism, the system proved to be more of a headache than a help.
Cllr Polly Blakemore, Cabinet Member for Transport, admitted that while the council is always looking for ways to modernize, this particular “new idea” simply didn’t make the grade. She noted that the trial failed to meet the necessary standards for performance or reliability, and perhaps most importantly for the local taxpayer, it wasn’t cost-effective. With the plug being pulled, the planned rollout to other parts of the district has been permanently shelved and the Autobill service has been discontinued. For Folkestone drivers, the message is clear: the council has actually listened, and the simplicity of a standard ticket is making a welcome comeback.