A BELCOO couple are still unhappy at the attitude of a parking attendant in Enniskillen whilst their car was parked outside a High Street bank over a month ago.

They contacted the Herald last week to air their grievance.

At around 9.30am on Friday, 8th April, Gayle Scarratt and Michael Keaney (42) parked their car on double yellow lines, as they are allowed to, outside the Halifax Building Society.

Gayle takes up the story.

“Michael is disabled and has a Blue Badge. When we pulled up there, he said to me, ‘I don’t feel great’, so I went in for him to take money out.

“He was sitting in the car, with the Blue Badge on display, when the warden came over and started on about his having to park 15 metres from the corner, that he wasn’t allowed to park where he was.”

According to Gayle, the traffic attendant told Mr Keaney he had one minute to go into the bank as the Blue Badge did not cover him to sit in the car on his own.

“He told him he could take the badge off him, that he had one minute to get his transaction done, at which point Michael came into the bank.”

Ms Scarratt said she knew something had occurred as soon as she saw Michael entering the bank.

“I was at the till doing the transaction. He was very pale and worried looking, and even the girls in the bank remarked on it. I told him to get back in the car and, when I went out, I spoke to the traffic warden. I told him if we were parked in the wrong, OK, give me a ticket, but you don’t threaten somebody.

“If it was me that was sitting in the car, I don’t think I would have got the same response. To me, it was a case of Michael being picked on.”

The legislation surrounding the use of the Blue Badge states that, although it is not illegal for a badge holder, or a non-disabled person waiting for the badge holder to return, to remain in the vehicle while the blue badge is displayed, consideration should be given to using a car park wherever possible.

And, while badge holders may usually park on single or double yellow lines, the Blue Badge ‘is not a licence to park anywhere’.

The law specifies that badge holders must not park within 15 metres of a junction, and badge holders must not allow other people to use the badge.