All 120 on-street parking machines in Oxfordshire will be replaced at a cost of £340,000 to accept the new £1 coin.

The county council said its machines were 'too old' to be modified to allow the new 12-sided coin and that the 'major undertaking' was needed.

The number of machines will reduce to 85 once the project is complete, which is expected to be by the end of September.

Oxfordshire County Council spokesman, Martin Crabtree, said: "All of our on-street machines are having to be replaced.

"This is a major undertaking that we want to get right in terms of the function and location of the new machines."

He added: "The existing machines are too old to be modified.

"They were bought as refurbished units in 1994 and needed replacing anyway."

The county council has on-street parking machines in Oxford, Abingdon, Wallingford and Henley.

The park and ride machines, being newer, will not be replaced.