The number of pay-and-display parking machines in England could see a steep decline as more than 20 councils across the country are removing pay-and-display machines and encouraging the public to use parking apps instead.

Some councils have said that switching to increased use of parking apps will help save local councils money because they will not need to upgrade older machines, service as many existing machines and there is a reduced risk of theft.

Part of the reason some councils are keen to encourage parking apps is because mobile phone operators are switching off the 3G data networks which many of the current parking machines run on. Several councils across the UK have seen the opportunity to save money by encouraging the use of parking apps but critics believe it will leave motorists with more unnecessary complications.

In the UK there are currently more than 30 different smartphone apps to pay parking charges and critics are concerned that the increased use parking apps and less pay-and-display machines makes the likelihood of motorists receiving fines more likely and puts the elderly and non-smartphone users at a disadvantage.