A DISABLED driver is fuming after he was given a £60 ticket when temporary barriers stopped him from parking within bay boundaries.

Shopper Bryan Sharples from Bolton claims it was impossible for him to park within the lines without hitting his car on barriers which had been put up by workmen.

Parking chiefs have said that they will look into the claims, but Mr Sharples says the incident could put him off shopping in the town centre.

Mr Sharples, of Firwood Fold, Bolton, parked his BMW car in the last remaining disabled bay on Back Cheapside at 12.30pm on Wednesday.

But work being carried out on the nearby footpath had led to the space being narrowed by safety barriers.

The retired motor engineer explained: "Mine is a big car but even a small car would struggle to get completely in to the width of the bays without being damaged by the barriers.

"The only way I could avoid getting a ticket was to damage my car. But I was not over the lines, my car wheels were actually just on the line. I did not expect to get a fine when I came back an hour later."

He said that his friends who had also been issued with penalty charge notices had stopped coming in to Bolton town centre.

"I regularly come in to Bolton, but when something like this happens it certainly puts you off coming," said Mr Sharples, who is registered disabled.

"I have friends who will no longer shop here because of the attitude the attendants have towards motorists."

Mr Sharples, who is appealing against the penalty charge, added: "I wonder how many more other drivers have been given a ticket because their car wheels are not within the markings and are forced onto the lines because of the barriers."

Ian Taylor, head of parking services in Bolton, said that his department would look into the claims.

Mr Taylor said: "It is not possible to comment on individual cases without seeing the evidence."

But he added: "He, like any other motorist has the right to challenge the penalty charge notice and we would look into the case. Sometimes parking attendants make mistakes which we do rectify."