The Eden Project has become the first place in the UK to offer paperless ticketing using mobile phones from start to finish.

The Cornish attraction, which houses the world’s biggest greenhouses, has had mobile ticketing in place since last summer. But until now, users have had to call the box office first and then pay over the phone before their ticket is sent to their mobile.

The new system, developed with mobile payment provider LUUP, means people can now order, pay for and redeem their tickets using their mobiles.

To buy a ticket, users set up an LUUP account and specify a bank account from which payments can be taken via SMS.

A LUUP wallet can also be pre-debited by sending a text message to a special user number with the account details and amount they wish to deposit.

Once tickets have been ordered and paid for, a barcode is sent to the mobile phone and read by scanners at the Eden Project entrance. People unsure of which tickets to buy can also text Eden for more information.

The Eden Project has said that the new payment scheme will cut queuing times as well as paper, printing, postage and administration costs.

Jon Curry, Eden’s head of ICT, said: “Using the LUUP payment system for the first time, we are able to offer our customers, including those who are on holiday and probably have no access to our ticket website, a fully automated, paperless advanced ticketing system using nothing but their mobile phone.”