A DISABLED charity store has won its battle for parking spaces -- but has been told they will not be legally enforced for another six months.

Committee members of ShopMobility who have campaigned for spaces outside the store in Whalley Road, Accrington, since April 2000 say the result is very disappointing.

The ShopMobility charity store provides free motorised scooters and wheelchairs to disabled shoppers in the town centre for three hours.

But it is currently hampered by the fact that there are no official bays where disabled badge holders can leave their vehicles.

Although there is one-hour parking for about 14 cars on the stretch of road outside the premises these can be used by all drivers so disabled people cannot be guaranteed a convenient place to park.

Richard Day, chairman of the outlet, said: "Council officers have said we can have two bays but they would not be legal for about another six months.

"How long does this take? We have been asking for these for nearly two years. This is so annoying and is not good enough.

"If we had spaces outside the building it would make access for our members so much easier but this basically means that the bays will be marked up and a lorry can park across them all day and nothing can be done."

Accrington ShopMobility first moved into the Whalley Road premises in March 2000 after being granted more than £24,000 by the town centre single regeneration board and ShopMobility officials asked Hyndburn Council for four parking spaces at that time. The transport and highways committee agreed in principle to two.

These will be painted outside the store in the next couple of weeks but no signs will be put up to designate them as official bays until legal proceedings end.

John Schofield, technical manager for Hyndburn Borough Council, said: "If we don't mark out the bays now ShopMobility would have to wait longer while legal regulations went through."