CHIPPENHAM NEWS EXCLUSIVE: A POLICE car parked in a disabled space in Chippenham has sparked outrage from a special needs group.

Carer Tim Phillips said special needs children at Burton Hill House School in Malmesbury felt let down by selfish motorists parking in disabled bays in Chippenham.

But Mr Phillips said he never expected to find a police car blocking a space.

Armed with a mobile phone camera, he took a snap of the emergency vehicle parked in a designated bay outside The China Bowl shop in Market Place.

He said: "Almost every day there are cars parked in spaces without disabled badges. On June 14 there was a police car in a space it is like there is one rule for them and another one for everybody else."

Mr Phillips said there was not enough parking in the town and is calling for immediate improvements because minibuses carrying the youngsters now have to travel longer distances for day trips.

"The children come out of class to use shops to teach them living skills," he said. "It is an inconvenience to go to other towns like Bristol and Swindon as sometimes we would rather go somewhere on our doorstep.

"The kids felt disappointed when we could not park and at the moment we've stopped going to Chippenham.

"I understand why people are doing it because they are frustrated there is not enough spaces for everyone."

Chippenham's sole traffic warden Duncan Wostenholme quit his post at the end of April and has not been replaced.

Mr Phillips said the decision not to recruit anybody else had exacerbated the town's parking problems.

"There is nobody to clamp down on the problem anymore," he said.

Executive director Douglas Campbell, of the Disabled Drivers Association, said a campaign called Baywatch, which aims to expose people ignoring disabled parking signs, revealed police frequently parked in the spaces.

"Occasionally there is an operational need when the police require the spaces to rush to the assistance of a shop or pick up a shoplifter. But unless there is an operational need they should never do it as it sets a bad example. These spaces are needed by disabled people so they can be near shop entrances. It is hugely frustrating for disabled people when they can't get into these spaces."

A police spokesman said: "We are grateful to the Chippenham News for making us aware of this situation and, when taken at first sight, clearly, the photo does not portray the Wiltshire Constabulary in a good light.

"However, at the moment, we are not fully aware of the circumstances because in certain situations police are permitted to park their vehicles in such locations.

"We will look into the circumstances and are more than happy for Mr Phillips to make contact with us and when we are aware of the circumstances we will be better able to comment.

"Clearly, if the vehicle was not justified in parking there we would wish to apologise in advance to Mr Phillips and any disabled drivers who were inconvenienced."

Results of the Baywatch survey, published earlier this year, revealed the percentage of disabled bays used by motorists without a valid badge had risen from 18.5 per cent in 2003 to 21 per cent in 2004.