It's a summertime tradition - or frustration - that has lasted for generations, but now the days of queuing at ice-cream vans could be over.

The world's first ‘contactless cone’ vehicle has been trialled in London.

News Shopper: The first contactless self-serve ice-cream van

A prototype van that allows eager customers to touch their bank card on a built-in pay pad and pull themselves an ice-cream.

The innovation developed by Barclaycard and launched on the South Bank in partnership with ice-cream van merchant One Coronetto cuts the time spent waiting in line for a frozen treat while the vendor is free to help those wanting lollies and other refreshments.

News Shopper: The first contactless self-serve ice-cream van

A poll of 2,000 adults found the typical wait time for a 99 is eight minutes, with 26 per cent saying they have left an ice-cream queue after becoming impatient.

Tami Hargreaves, director of innovation and partnerships at Barclaycard Mobile Payments, said: “Ice-cream vans have long been a real staple of British summertime. 'To mark the 10th anniversary of contactless payment being introduced in the UK, we wanted to celebrate this popular tradition with a prototype.

News Shopper: The first contactless self-serve ice-cream van

“Touch-and-go payments are continuing to soar in popularity, so that’s why we developed ‘Contactless Cones’ – where the ice cream doesn’t melt away but the long queues do.”