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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Supermarket parking 'breaks law' | Supermarket parking 'breaks law' |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| The UK's big supermarkets are breaking disability laws by having strict time limits in about two-thirds of their car parks, charities have told the BBC. | The UK's big supermarkets are breaking disability laws by having strict time limits in about two-thirds of their car parks, charities have told the BBC. |
| Private firms run some of the parking areas for Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons and customers face penalty charges for overstaying. | Private firms run some of the parking areas for Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons and customers face penalty charges for overstaying. |
| But under the Disability Discrimination Act, businesses need to make extra allowances for disabled people. | But under the Disability Discrimination Act, businesses need to make extra allowances for disabled people. |
| The supermarkets say they will review their policies on disabled parking. | The supermarkets say they will review their policies on disabled parking. |
| Supermarkets are increasingly using private parking firms and automatic number plate recognition systems to limit customer parking, often to two hours. | Supermarkets are increasingly using private parking firms and automatic number plate recognition systems to limit customer parking, often to two hours. |
| 'Acknowledge problem' | 'Acknowledge problem' |
| The restrictions are to discourage drivers from abusing the free parking spaces. | The restrictions are to discourage drivers from abusing the free parking spaces. |
| A survey for BBC Breakfast - which contacted 200 different large supermarkets from the four main chains, and spoke to 124 - suggests about two-thirds of the car parks that impose time limits do not give disabled people any extra time to shop, which is a breach of the law. | |
| Neil Coyle, from the charity Disability Alliance, said: "Supermarkets need to acknowledge there is a problem, and secondly, very quickly they need to ensure their car parking procedures conform with the law. | Neil Coyle, from the charity Disability Alliance, said: "Supermarkets need to acknowledge there is a problem, and secondly, very quickly they need to ensure their car parking procedures conform with the law. |
| "You or I can stamp our feet and say how outrageous it is but at the end of the day there is a law that protects disabled people from this happening." | "You or I can stamp our feet and say how outrageous it is but at the end of the day there is a law that protects disabled people from this happening." |
| He said the supermarkets needed to end the "unfair charges" or "they can wait until someone takes a legal case and potentially face a considerable compensation case". | He said the supermarkets needed to end the "unfair charges" or "they can wait until someone takes a legal case and potentially face a considerable compensation case". |