Smart sensors are coming to Richmond roads under a hi-tech scheme that aims to let drivers know where they can find empty parking spaces.

The scheme is designed to reduce congestion caused by people heading to areas that are already full, while it should improve air quality by avoiding unnecessary journeys, queuing and idling.

These digital sensors will be placed on the tarmac in spaces on the road and identify if they are empty.

The sensors then send this information to the RingGo app where local drivers will be able to identify available parking spots.

Cllr Alexander Ehmann, Chair of the Transport and Air Quality Committee, said: "Smart technologies are playing an ever more central role in the delivery of Council services and I'm really excited that Richmond will be at the forefront of local authorities using better data to make decisions.

"The trial results will help us to monitorlocal parking habits and contribute meaningful data on which future decisionsof the Council can be based."

The parking sensor trial will see 151 parking bay sensors installed across the borough's town centres as part of the South London Partnership's InnOvaTe Project.

The InnOvate project, "Internet of Things" (IoT), is a project from the South London Partnership and five south London councils funded by the Strategic Investment Pot (SIP) as part of the London Councils Business Rates Retention scheme.

The ultimate aim of of the 'IoT' is to connect these various sensors across borough boundaries to give a picture of the links between transport and air quality.

The Council also plan on using these machines to monitor parking overstays to allow for more effective enforcement of parking law.

It moved to alleviate any concerns that the tech will be used to spy on individual drivers. The RingGo app is already in wide use in the borough for its pay and display function and includes no collection of, and will have no capacity to gather, any kind of personal data.