A community council has hit out after spending £4000 to improve disabled parking spaces only for thoughtless drivers to use them.

Eliburn Community Council used Town Centre funds to get two existing bays widened and an additional three bays added at Newyearfield and say drivers often become abusive when asked to move.

Just last month we reported that police offices said they had stepped up issuing fines to drivers using disabled spaces without blue badges.

But many people have since got in touch to say this has not been their experience when they complain to officers.

Stephen Egan, chair of Eliburn Community Council, said the funding aimed to prevent pavement parking and allow accessible access to Newyearfield Community Education Centre.

He said: “This year we spent £1000 getting the existing two accessible bays widened to make them suitable for wheelchair users as well as two additional bays at the Co-op and one at the dentist.

“Since these bays have been introduced they are abused on an almost hourly basis. We have asked Police Scotland to take action, have sent photographic evidence but have had no direct feedback from them.

“At our recent community council meeting our two members who use blue badges had to get delivery drivers to move from the bays and to be on the receiving end of abuse. This abuse of accessible bays is unfortunately endemic and only the police can intervene.”

Another local blue badge holder, who asked to remain anonymous, said she had also spoken to officers at Livingston Civic Centre when she found there were no disabled parking bays left for her to use.

She said: “I got to speak to a sergeant who said he was in the process of obtaining tickets from Edinburgh and if/when his officers get a chance due to lack of staff they would start to ticket those who are not displaying a blue badge.

“I was told I couldn’t take pics of offenders by police. The sgt also said the community sgt and inspector were going to meet about it.”

Police officers said they handed out 20 tickets to people abusing disabled parking spaces over two weeks alone last month.

Constable Ewan Hannay said police were aware of the problem and had been ticketing offenders in the town, including outside the Civic Centre.

He said: “We do carry out enforcement.

“We aren’t able to do a dedicated enforcement strategy.

“What we are doing is an unpredictable enforcement so people won’t know when it is or where it is that they can be caught, so they are always going to be at risk.”

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