Blue badge holder fined for parking across two spaces when no disabled bays were available

A blue badge holder has lashed out at parking wardens after he was fined for parking his car across two spaces when there were no disabled spaces free.

Chris McQuire, 52, claims he was left with no choice but to park over the white lines at the Tape Street car park in Cheadle, Staffs, to give him enough space to open his door fully to get in and out.

But he was shocked when he discovered he had been hit with a £70 fine – despite his blue badge being displayed on the dashboard.

Chris, who lives in Ford, near Leek, Staffs., has now refused to pay up and is lodging an appeal against the “unfair” decision.

He said: “I had a brain haemorrhage 15 years ago which led to a stroke. It’s left me more or less paralysed down my right side.

“I had to teach myself how to walk and talk again and after a lot of hard work I got my driving licence back three years ago, which was a major achievement after all I’d gone through.

“I won’t pay the fine because the system is wrong. There are 160 parking spaces in Cheadle and only seven of those are disabled.”

Chris had spent around two hours in town after parking up while he enjoyed a meal with a friend but he has vowed never to return.

MORE: Mum releases footage of horror crash that killed her son as police launch seat belt campaign
MORE: Research finds 98% of Brits think they are in the top 50% of nicest people

He added: “As far as I’m concerned, the council has wiped Cheadle off the map.”

Other visitors to Tape Street car park have backed Chris with his appeal but some have not been so sympathetic.

Pat William, 70, from Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs., said: “I don’t think anyone disabled should get a ticket.

“There is a far bigger problem with able-bodied drivers parking in disabled bays.

“There isn’t really enough disabled spaces here. I wish him luck and hope he can overturn the fine.”

But mum-of-two Lisa Freeman, 20, from Cheadle, added: “He still has to obey parking regulations whether he has a blue badge or not. It doesn’t make you above the law.”

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council confirmed the appeal was still being processed and said it couldn’t comment until a decision had been made.

Top pic: SWNS