WORCESTER News readers have thrown their support behind a disabled man fined for straddling two parking bays in a city car park.

Geoff Palmer was issued with a £25 ticket after leaving his car across two spaces in Copenhagen Street car park in Worcester back in June.

The blue badge holder claimed he had to straddle the spaces because there was not enough room to get from his car into his wheelchair using just one space.

When he challenged the fine he was told that if he could not get into a bay, he should have parked somewhere else.

After featuring Mr Palmer’s story in your Worcester News, readers reacted with anger on our website.

A reader, called Logik, said: “We have to remember that the council could have made these bays wider but that would decrease revenue as a couple of other spaces would have to go.”

Cmot from Worcester commented: “When supermarkets can provide suitable disabled spaces, then why can’t the city council?”

The Department of Trans-port’s guidelines state there should be a 120cm (47ins) designated side area around disabled bays.

Four of Copenhagen Street car park’s six disabled bays fit the guidelines, but were occupied when Mr Palmer parked on Tuesday, June 17.

Common Sense, from Pershore, commented: “If the bays do not conform to government size and guidelines, then they should not be marked as for the disabled.”

Mr Palmer, aged 54, of Pensham, near Pershore, contested the ticket but the appeal was turned down on Monday, July 28.

He said: “These bays are marked up as disabled but are not fit for purpose.”

Worcester City Council is conducting a review of the suitability of disabled parking spaces in the city’s car park Andy Chinn, city council parking enforcement team leader, said: “If we lived in utopia, all the disabled bays would be as set out in the Government’s guidelines, which we are striving towards.”