MAJOR supermarkets were criticised today by parents of disabled children.

Poorly laid out aisles and badly designed trolleys as well as the use of disabled parking spaces by able-bodied customers were among the complaints in a survey.

More than three-quarters of parents surveyed believe supermarkets do not provide the right amenities.

More than half of parents with disabled children felt supermarket shopping was needlessly difficult or impossible for them.

Half those surveyed complained about poorly laid-out aisles.

More than 80 per cent said trolleys were badly designed or difficult to manoeuvre.

More than 80 per cent said they had encountered the problem of able-bodied people using disabled parking spaces.

More than 60 per cent found store personnel lacked understanding while 70 per cent said employees manning supermarket childcare facilities were untrained to look after disabled children.

The survey was commissioned by The Family Fund, a charity providing grants and information to families with severely disabled or seriously ill children. A random sample of 101 parents on the Family Fund's database was interviewed over the phone for the survey.