A COUNCIL has apologised on behalf of a worker caught parking in a disabled bay without a blue badge.

Darlington Borough Council's dog warden claimed it was a genuine mistake when he parked in the disabled space on Crown Street yesterday (Wednesday, January 21).

However, his actions were criticised by disability campaigners who say there is “no excuse” for taking up an in-demand town centre disabled space.

Gordon Pybus, of Darlington Association on Disability (DAD), said it seemed as though there was one rule for the public and another for the local authority.

He said: “I’m sure that’s not the case but it’s not right and I can’t think of any kind of emergency that would cause them to need to park in those bays – it’s a disgrace.

“Even if someone’s only parked there for a few minutes, which is often the excuse, it’s in those few minutes that somebody might want to park.

“If there’s no spaces available close to where they want to be, they’ll end up having to drive around the town looking for somewhere or they may have to go home.

“There’s no excuse whatsoever for anybody to take up those bays and it could have a massive impact as there’s a limited amount of disabled spaces.

“It’s vitally important that those bays are kept free for their proper use – for those with blue badges.”

He added: “Anybody working for the local authority should know better – they’re very good at keeping on top of parking issues but not when it comes to themselves and it gives a bad impression.”

A spokeswoman for Darlington Borough Council apologised for the error and said: “This was a genuine mistake on the part of our member of staff who mistakenly thought the space was a loading bay.

“He was visiting the nearby store to drop off a pet food donation bin where shoppers are invited to make donations of pet food which are then shared between the Darlington Food Store and Deerness Kennels.”