[Ammi]

Instead of paying for your parking with cash, a group of car parks are offering drivers the chance to pay with conkers.

One conker will equate to 20p, giving drivers free parking for a week beginning on 16th September and ending on 22nd.

It’s all part of an environmental scheme to raise awareness of the high levels of emissions from vehicles in the UK

The Town Centre Car Parks (TCCP) car parks involved in the scheme are in Leeds and Manchester.

Conkers, or horse chestnut tree seeds, can be used instead of money for one week. Drivers can use a maximum of 50 conkers, which works out at £10 of parking charges. The TCCP will then sponsor a forest in the UK to help offset the pollution caused by car emissions.

To take advantage you’ll need to take the conkers down to one of the following car parks: Merrion Centre, Leeds, Clarence Dock, Leeds, and 30 Tariff Street, Manchester.

Only conkers which are intact can be exchanged and one car per household will be allowed to take part.

Although it sounds a bit like an April Fools' joke, Ben Ziff, managing director of TCCP, said the scheme was a fun way to raise awareness and give a little bit back.

“We all have fond memories of looking for conkers so this seemed like a great idea for our customers. We are looking forward to seeing how many people bring us,” he added