A DISABLED women was forced to walk to an appointment because a display set up by the district council was taking up disabled parking bays.

Kim Carpenter, 50 from Beulah Road in Epping was outraged to find staff from the council using two disabled parking spaces in Bakers Lane for an information point about new wheely bins.

Their vehicle was also parked in one of the bays, taking up another disabled space on a day when many people visit the town for the market.

Mrs Carpenter said: “I was really quite annoyed. I had to walk all the way across the car park and park on double yellow lines.

"If anyone else parked in those bays and didn't have a disabled badge they would get a parking ticket.”

A member of staff from the council at the display said they were sorry for the inconvenience.

She added: “We were told to set up here but we won't do it again.

"The vehicle is parked here because there wasn't anywhere else to park it, the car park was full.

"If we weren't parked in these spaces then someone else would be, it's very busy today, but we won't park in disabled bays again.”

Mrs Carpenter said they should have used normal parking spaces.

She added: “There are few enough disabled bays as it is in the town. It was totally unreasonable and it really got my goat.

"I had an appointment to get to so I had to park somewhere. They were taking them up for some silly scheme that no one wants anyway.

"A lot of people come to Epping to use the market on a Monday and we already lose the parking bays in town because of the stalls. Those spaces are very important for wheelchair users and there are people who rely on them.”