Motorists have revealed breaking a supermarket car park rule in place at popular UK stores such as Aldi, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons. Express reader @patrioticbrit shared how they have been able to stop their vehicle in the parent and child bays when all the disabled spaces were full.
The bays are usually reserved for parents and guardians of children aged 12 and under. However, on some occasions, store managers allow disabled road users to park in these spaces if the disabled spaces are full. The reader said they had been told by store managers that disabled road users “take priority”, meaning they got away with stopping in the bays without being penalised.
Express reader @patrioticbrit explained: “A few years ago, I took my disabled mother (with Blue Badge) to her supermarket. Sadly all disabled spaces gone, so was forced to park in child/parent space to be able to accommodate her special needs.
“Checked with store manager if okay, as a father with an 'older child' (probably 9/10yrs) complained profusely directly to me in car park. Fortunately, the store manager backed me completely, and said disabled/blue badge users take priority over other spaces.”
Express reader @kittykins had a similar experience, adding that they had even been pointed towards parent and child bays when there are no disabled spaces left.
They wrote: “My comment is about disabled badge holders, of whom I am one. When all the disabled bays have been taken, I have actually been directed to the parent and child bays, in each case being told that I am allowed to use them.”
The RAC explained that supermarket car parks are private property with rules usually enforced by the supermarket itself. Sometimes, private firms are allocated by supermarkets to manage car parks but signs will usually display all the important rules.
However, disabled motorists should still check whether they are allowed to stop in the bays before simply assuming. Motorists parking in parent and child bays while breaking the rules could be hit with major fines.
Experts at StartRescue said: “If someone parks in a child/parent space but does not have a child with them, they will probably be asked to move their vehicle (via the supermarket’s public address system). It's also possible a fine may be levied for those who refuse to move their vehicle.”