Store's war on parking cheats (From Thisisdorset)

Store's war on parking cheats

8:36am Tuesday 15th January 2008

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PARKING cheats who misuse parent and child and disabled bays at Asda stores may have to add £40 to their shopping bills from today.

The retail giant is the first to introduce fines for those who leave shoppers in genuine need with nowhere to park.

The scheme will be regulated by private contractors and all profits given to baby charity Tommy's and disability charity Motability.

Bosses at Asda decided to introduce the scheme at all stores where it owns the car park after a successful trial in Liverpool.

Eight out of ten shoppers asked for their views said they believe it is the right thing to do.

Last May, Castlepoint bosses introduced £100 fines after repeated problems with the misuse of parking bays at the centre, particularly those for the disabled.

Since May, 800 drivers have been fined for parking in disabled bays at Castlepoint.

"At Asda we have decided to take a stand to keep specialised parking spaces available to those customers that need them," said customer service manager Paul Hedley.

"We are not handing out tickets to make a profit as money raised will go to charity. We would encourage anyone that manages a car park to take our lead."

A spokesman for Tommy's said: "A routine trip to the shops can turn into a nightmare for some parents when they don't have adequate parking spaces."

And a spokesman for Motability, which provides a car scheme for disabled people, added: "With the help of companies like Asda we can help to keep many more people independently mobile, something many of us take for granted."

At Asda St Paul's yesterday afternoon, all but one of the parent and child spaces on the upper deck were taken.

Michael House from Charminster, a father-of-two, said: "I think it is a good idea. I managed to get a parent and child space today, but I can't always get one. There are a lot of people who park here even if they haven't got children with them and they're often rude if you say anything to them."

And Greg Webb from Boscombe added: "It makes me really cross when I see people using disabled spaces who obviously aren't entitled to. I am quite happy to walk a bit further if it means genuinely disabled people can park near the shop."

A spokesman for Tesco said there are no current plans to introduce a similar scheme.

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