A MAJOR supermarket is to fine selfish drivers £60 if they park in a space reserved for parents with young children or disabled people.

A MAJOR supermarket is to fine selfish drivers £60 if they park in a space reserved for parents with young children or disabled people.

Asda will introduce the new rules to Glasgow and the rest of Scotland on March 24 and is to use a private firm to enforce the fines.

Asda customer service manager Paul Hedley said: "We have decided to take a stand to keep specialised parking spaces available to those customers that need them."

All of the company's Scottish stores, apart from non-food outlets, will be covered by the fines.

Major stores including Govan, Toryglen, Kilmarnock, Paisley, Bearsden, Hamilton and Carluke will be covered.

Signs are to alert drivers to the penalties and Town and City Parking, DVLA-licensed to issue civil penalties, will enforce the rules.

Asda will be able to chase up non-payment through the courts.

The scheme comes after an Asda poll found four out of five of its customers thought the parking fines, trialed in England, should be extended nationally.

Bill Campbell, project manager for disability organisation Inclusion Scotland, said: "I very much welcome this initiative.

"It will certainly make life a lot easier for disabled drivers."

The fines follow a number of attempts by the supermarket to halt unauthorised parking, including loudspeaker messages and leaflet campaigns.

Money generated through the fair parking scheme will be donated to the Motability disabled travel project and Tommy's baby charity.

Tommy's chief executive, Jane Brewin, said: "Putting fines in place for parking misuse is a bold move by Asda but is the right one for giving parents with young children a helping hand."

MSP for Dumbarton Jackie Baillie has called for all disabled parking bays in Scotland to be enforceable - those outside homes or in shop car parks are not.

She said: "I don't think the majority of people realise the consequences that parking in a disabled bay can carry.

"I fully support what Asda is doing on this front. It is a very positive move."

Asda's priority parking spaces are reserved for disabled customers with a blue badge in their cars and for parents with a child under 12.