A couple from Midlothian say they were shouted at in a row over disabled parking bays at their local Tesco in Dalkeith.
Jackie Beattie, 49, and her husband, 42, are both registered as disabled, with Jackie using a mobility scooter to get around and Norman suffering from COPD.
The couple say the latest incident, where a fellow shopper cruelly labelled them 'scroungers' is one of many examples that have left them feeling 'nervous' and 'anxious'.
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They say that each time they visit the shop, they are left without a space to park and are often abused if they challenge a driver without a blue badge.
On one occasion, Norman was left in pain and struggling for breath due to the distance he had to travel from the car park to his appointment.
On another occasion outside Tesco in Dalkeith, the couple had their disability status questioned and told that they were “scroungers after money.”
On the issue, Jackie said: “My husband has COPD and cannot walk far and if we have to park away at the other side then he has to walk. I’m lucky as I have my scooter but it is still very problematic.
“The disabled bays are always taken up by vehicles without a blue badge and whenever we have challenged people on this we have been met with a torrent of abuse.
“People question whether we are scroungers and whether we just claim to have a disability for money which is just not true.
“This has made us anxious and nervous to attend these venues as we do not know what is in store for us when we get there.
“There has to be greater enforcement where those not exhibiting a blue badge are fined and given a ticket.”
The couple also say that they feel there is a lack of parking spaces available for those living with a disability.
Jackie added: “Most of these car parks are huge and there does not seem to be any excuse to create some more whilst also enforcing fines.
“We noticed an elderly woman had to be helped out of the car by a younger gentleman and left at the side of the street whilst the man found a parking spot. This is not good enough.
“It makes me really angry and I have started taking pictures of the cars without blue badges and sharing them on social media in the hope that something gets done.”
Edinburgh Live spoke to Tesco Dalkeith about the issue and to see if anything could be done to better enforce parking measures.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “We’re sorry to hear that some customers have found it difficult to find an available disabled parking bay at our Dalkeith Hardengreen Superstore.
"We have mobile patrol officers in place to manage the car park and help to ensure disabled parking bays are available for those who need them, and we ask that customers consider the needs of others when parking in marked bays.“
