Anchor Group Services and Milesight Revolutionise UK Smart Car Park Management with Solar-Powered 4G Cameras

Anchor Group Services, a leading UK facilities management company, is pioneering smart car park management as the first UK partner to collaborate with Milesight in testing and refining their solar-powered 4G ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras. This breakthrough technology addresses long-standing challenges in remote car park enforcement and optimisation, reinforcing Anchor’s leadership in facilities management innovation.

This exciting collaboration comes at a crucial time. Managing car parks, particularly in remote locations, has traditionally been hindered by factors such as high installation costs due to extensive cabling and power requirements, limited enforcement options without costly manual patrols, and inefficient data collection – restricting space utilisation insights. As a pioneering UK partner for Milesight, this collaboration helps overcome those challenges, expanding access to this groundbreaking technology.

The Milesight 4G Solar-Powered Camera offers revolutionary features:

• Solar-powered operation with up to nine days of continuous surveillance without the presence of sunlight.

• 4G LTE connectivity for seamless data transmission without wired internet.

• Low power consumption that conserves energy by activating only when movement is detected.

After a successful trial at Anchor’s headquarters, the technology was deployed at two retail park sites in Bangor, North Wales, and Preston, Lancashire.

Anchor and Milesight overcame challenges like battery life and data transmission efficiency, reducing 4G usage from 80GB to just 5GB per camera and exploring hybrid power solutions for areas with limited infrastructure.

Jamie Fretwell, Technical Services Director at Anchor Group Services said:

“We needed something easy to install, maintain, and more compact. Despite the challenges of UK weather, the solution has performed exceptionally. It enhances enforcement, provides real-time visitor insights and allows us to provide support to clients that may have previously been cost prohibitive. In addition, we have worked with Milesight and CheckMyCCTV to enable real time monitoring of the system status to ensure high availability and accuracy of the solution.”

Terry Luo, UK Sales Director of Milesight added:

“Partnering with Anchor to launch our solar‑powered 4G ANPR in the UK marks a major milestone. This cost-effective, low-maintenance solution delivers real-time insights, boosts enforcement, and supports sustainable, smart car park management across the country.”

As a result, Anchor has also been selected as winner of the Milesight Impact Awards 2025 on 30 October 2025, as recognition and to reflect their exceptional achievements and real impact in creating a more connected, efficient and sustainable future.

Anchor is committed to furthering this innovation with the recent order of five additional solar cameras for deployment at remote sites. Plans include expanding implementation to car parks near natural attractions such as the Forest of Dean and exploring applications for parish councils looking to generate revenue from tourist parking.

Additionally, Anchor aims to refine hybrid power solutions by integrating solar with existing infrastructure and advancing data analytics capabilities to provide enhanced insights for clients. With a commitment to cost-effective, sustainable, and data-driven solutions, Anchor continues to set new standards in UK facilities management.