LEE BRANSON, of Newton Abbot, writes: I write regarding an incident that took place at Tesco on Remembrance Sunday. My partner, myself and our 20-month-old daughter went to Tesco to do some shopping. As we drove into the car park we noticed that there was a remaining parent and child space left. To our joy we started to manoeuvre to park in the said space until, all of a sudden, this car came from nowhere and took the said space from us in an act of road robbery. I sat there gobsmacked, looked at the couple in this big silver Citroen and wound the window down. I pointed to my daughter in the back and said that the space was for parent and child. The couple in the car chuckled to each other, all of a sudden out it came – the blue badge. Yep, you know the blue badge that lets you park where you like, drive how you like and it also lets you talk to people how you like. The driver of the Citroen replied: 'There are no other disabled spaces, so tough.' Now, as a 35-year-old redhead, I normally have to be restrained by the missus in similar situations like this, but this situation left me gobsmacked and left me static. The couple in question then jumped out of the car and made a hasty trek to the Tesco's entrance. Disabled? With what: A big car, private plates – the only thing disabled about this couple was their attitude to parents. But I forgot, they had a blue badge. And there were lots of disabled spaces empty because all the disabled are parking in the parent and child spaces. We drove past them all on our way in. Mind you, I don't understand why there are disabled spaces when they park where they like anyway. So, after that, we had to struggle the 271 yards from the back end of the car park at Tesco. Thanks to whoever you are. If I had parked in a disabled space I would have been met by a bunch of placard-waving disabled people calling for my head as I'm in the younger generation and I'm ignorant and selfish, not like the minority of disabled who abuse the badges and take the mickey out of the law-abiding parents and the able bodied. So I call on all parents to park in a disabled space if that's all that is left. After all, parents with two kids, a week's shopping and looking for the car keys in the rain are more disabled than the disabled in my opinion. Presumably no-one at these supermarkets polices the parking, which is why these people get away with it. So from now on park where you like if you are a parent with kids. What can happen to you? You're not going to get an Asbo for taking your kids shopping. Or will you? Depends if the judge has a blue sticker in his Mercedes which is parked out in the bus lane. So, to all supermarkets, get it sorted and make sure spaces are used by those who they are for. If not, I will park where I like from now on.
