Giant vending machine installed in Derbyshire village

For hundreds of years, village shops have been at the heart of our rural communities. But the growth of supermarket chains and internet shopping has meant many local stores have been unable to compete, and they have had to close.

Now one Derbyshire villager has come up with an idea for the ultimate in convenience shopping - a vending machine with a difference.

The machine has a range of essentials from milk and eggs, to toiletries, tins of soup and even umbrellas. To prevent damage, the selected goods are carefully collected in a robotic tray. Shoppers can pay for the items using a cash or credit card. To prevent theft the machine is fitted with numerous security features. It even sends Peter Fox, the designer, an e-mail, telling him when stocks are getting low.

The machine is located in the car park of the village pub, which is where, perhaps unsurprisingly, the idea for it was first dreamed up. Staff at the pub convinced it will be a winner.

In recent years commercial pressures from supermarkets and online shopping have caused many village stores to close. In 2010 alone an estimated 400 local stores in the UK shut down. One parish councillor in Clifton thinks this machine could be the answer