THE new solar powered parking ticket machine in Devizes Market Place is now operational.

It was due to come into action on August 1 but it was left covered up causing confusion among motorists.

A Wiltshire Council spokesman said: "The machine is now working. It was installed in two phases. The machine needed to be physically installed, then the software loaded remotely.

"When the decision was made to have a machine there it was physically put in place much quicker than normal, but the software still needed to be uploaded and that can take a bit of time."

Drivers can also use an app to park but some motorists have also found it difficult to locate the Market Place on the MiPermit app.