Drivers caught parking in disabled or parent and child spaces to face £70 fines

[dutchman]

Tesco have revealed that staff at more than 200 stores will be armed with an app to fine drivers



Drivers parking in parent and child bays without kids could be hit with a £40 fine under plans unveiled by one supermarket giant.

Tesco, which has stores across Coventry and Warwickshire, is equipping staff with smartphone apps to capture footage of drivers flouting rules for parent and child or disabled bays.

The new initiative is currently being trialled at 81 stores across the UK but a spokesman for Tesco said it’s been so successful it will now be rolled out to more than 200 locations.

The devices used to fine motorists are shared by stores and will move between different locations.

Staff at the supermarket will take pictures of cars parked in the spaces for people with Blue Badges or children under the age of 12.

The evidence will then be sent to a company, Horizon Parking, which will get the drivers’ details from the DVLA and issue a £40 fine.

The fine could rise to £70, too, if it is not paid within 14 days.

The scheme has been trialled at 81 stores and will be rolled out at a further 200 in the coming weeks, according to WalesOnline.

Tesco says it is not a money-making scheme as the fines will only cover the costs plus fees.

A spokesman said: “Many disabled customers rely on our disabled parking bays, so we’ve introduced our self-monitoring initiative to highlight the importance of using the bays properly, making it fairer and easier for everyone to find a space.”

Earlier in the year, WalesOnline contacted a number of supermarkets to find out what the policy was in the car parks of their stores in regards to parents and child parking bays.

Supermarkets - from Sainsbury’s and Tesco, to Aldi and Asda, had their say, while Waitrose, Morrisons and Lidl were all contacted, but did not comment.

A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s said that spaces at its stores are rarely misused by customers.

The supermarket giant added they do have guidelines, though.

Sainsbury’s say the bays should be used for parents with children under 12 years old.

“Our parking attendants patrol the parent/child spaces to make sure they are being used only by customers with children,” says the supermarket chain.

“If our attendants find any customers misusing these spaces, they will in the first instance ask them to move, and if they refuse, they will be issued with a Parking Charge Notice.”

Asda says it dedicates 6 per cent of its car park to child and parent spaces.

This is equal to the number the Walmart-owned company dedicates to Blue Badge holders.

An Asda statement informs customers: “We allow parents with children up to 12 years old travelling in a child/booster seat to park in these specific spaces, and have dedicated attendants who monitor the car park.

“Safety of children is paramount so our child and parent parking spaces are situated close to the store with a safety walkway around the edge to help parents keep their children safe while loading their car with shopping or pushchairs.”

Budget supermarket chain Aldi, meanwhile, say they offer parent and child car parking spaces at all of their standard stores across the UK - including Coventry and Warwickshire.

A spokesperson for the supermarket said in a statement: “These spaces are positioned in a convenient location to allow customers with children easy access to the store.

“Although we don’t enforce strict regulations, the parent and child car parking spaces are honoured and appreciated by the large majority of our customers.”

A Tesco spokesperson said the bays are for customers who are shopping with primary school aged children, toddlers and babies.

The chain says: “We want to make it as easy as possible for all our customers to shop with us, including people with young children, so we offer designated wider spaces within a convenient distance to our stores’ entrances.”

[rebbonk]

Whilst I happily accept the intent, I'm not sure that these 'fines' are actually enforceable.

[Melisandre]

You will also get a fine if your car is not parked with in the lines in any parking bay also a 5 hour limited of parking at the Richo