This IS NOT a disabled parking bay, says council

A DRIVER with a disability badge was slapped with a £25 parking fine despite leaving her car in a bay with a wheelchair symbol at the Arndale Centre.

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Belinda Lehane, from Accrington, was visiting Manchester city centre with her husband on Sunday.

The couple planned to park up at the Arndale Retail Car Park before shopping and having a spot of lunch.

The 61-year-old, who holds a blue disability badge, told the M.E.N. she applied for a disability permit for the trip ahead of time.

Parking company APCOA, who manage the online payment platform at the Arndale site, gave her a year's permit through their blue badge portal, which offers free parking for badge holders.

Belinda told the M.E.N. the firm informed her it would be automatically associated with her registration plate, and that she would not have to pay to park. "We entered the car park, looking for disabled parking, and found a row of bays with white markings and a wheelchair sign on the floor," she said.