DISABLED shoppers can look forward to parking more easily in Swindon's Asda Wal-Mart hypermarket.

The store in the Orbital Shopping Park has launched Baywatch Patrol a scheme to stop able-bodied drivers parking in bays intended for people with disabilities.

An eight-strong team of Baywatch workers braved the pouring rain to kick start the service.

Molly Druett, 25, from Wootton Bassett, said: "Our role is to act as car park custodians. I think it is a brilliant idea. We have had to ask three motorists to park elsewhere already, so we are definitely needed."

Armed, like their television namesakes, with a pair of binoculars and a platform ladder, the custodians monitor who parks in the spaces.

Another team member, John Fisher, 21, from Haydon Wick, said: "Some people think they have the right to park anywhere that is most convenient for them.

"It is our job to keep lazy drivers in line and encourage them to be more considerate to disabled shoppers. They often look embarrassed when we ask them to park elsewhere."

Swindon's Asda Wal-Mart already has a good reputation for helping disabled people.

The store boasts a fleet of nine electric wheelchairs and has just invested in equipment to help the visually impaired.

Lyndea Gawke, 58, chairwoman and director of the New Phoenix Disability Resource Centre, attended the launch of the scheme yesterday.

She said: "Asda has always supported the disabled population in Swindon with things like wheelchairs, hearing loops and gripping devices. This is one step further to making life far easier for us. I have lost count of the times I have been unable to park because an able bodied person has taken the space."

Fellow wheelchair user, Alan Russell, 43, vice- chairman of the Phoenix Disability Resource Centre, was equally impressed.

He said: "I like Asda in all facets because I feel able to shop here. As a driver, I know how frustrating it can be when able bodied people use bays for the disabled. This sounds like a great way to stop this happening."