Police cars photographed in disabled parking bays

A mother of two said police were "lazy" to park in a supermarket disabled bay

Police said there was no evidence that an officer parked on double yellow lines to order food

A spokesperson said disabled bays make it easier to get a handcuffed person into a car

Police have been criticised for parking on double yellow lines and in disabled and parent and child parking spaces.

Several photos of police cars have been posted on a Facebook page set up to highlight bad parking in Lincoln.

The Lincolnshire Police drivers' policy says officers should be "considerate", "above reproach" and set "a good example".

However, a spokesperson said there can be operational reasons for officers to ignore parking restrictions.

One photo shows a police car partly parked on double yellow lines and claims the occupant or occupants were "seen in KFC ordering food".

A police spokesperson said: "There is no evidence to say that the officer was parking there to order food.

"There may have been an operational reason for them being there and without further information about the date/time/location, we cannot identify the officer to ascertain the circumstances of the parking."

A mother of two, who spotted a police car in a disabled bay in a Lincoln supermarket, said the officer or officers were being "lazy".

'More deserving' people

"There were loads of other available spaces and they chose to park closest to the store," she said.

"When there are available spaces it's quite unfair for them to take a space away from a person that's more deserving."

She did not see if police were at the store for an operational reason or to do some shopping.

A police spokesperson said: "It would be difficult to park in regular parking bays and try to get a handcuffed person into a car without the possibility of damaging cars parked next to it.

"Disabled and parent bays offer more room to open doors fully without the risk of damage to other road users."

Another photo, also of a police car in a supermarket disabled bay, was posted with the claim "the police woman went in to Asdas" meaning "a man who struggled to walk had to park further down to find a space".

Another photo shows a police car parked across a pavement "to get a pizza".

One comment under the photo said police officers should be able to park wherever they want, even when stopping to buy food.

But another comment said: "We are not talking about an emergency here. Think if you were in a wheelchair."