Here’s how different supermarkets will fine you for bad parking – is your local store the worst?

PARKING at a supermarket can often be challenging with limited spaces and little space to manoeuvre.

Parents with children know that these tricky situations are even more difficult when trying to handle kids, a trolley and bags of shopping at the same time.

Almost one in two parents struggle to get their child out of the car because they don’t have enough room in a regular parking space.

This is why most supermarket car parks have since designated, larger, spaces for people shopping with children.

Designed to be extra helpful, these specialist bays are also closer to the store entrance so parents don’t have to walk further than necessary.

Although the rules might vary between stores, Confused.com say you can park in a parent and child bay if you’re visiting the store with a child that’s under 12 or in a car seat.

But your child isn’t going to leave the car, motorists are advised to think about whether you really need to use the space.

However, research by Confused.com found that 1 in 3 people misused parent and child parking bays – with the most happening at Asda.

Unsurprisingly, supermarkets differ in the ways in which they penalise customers over parking in these spots – but which company is the strictest?

Here are the rules for Sainsbury’s, Asda,  Morrisons and others, according to Confused.com:

Sainsbury’s

Stores enforce parking rules and handles any misuse. The car park operators would issue any fines to those found breaking the rules.

Asda

An external agency monitors Asda’s car parks. They carry out regular checks to enforce their parking regulations. If someone has parked incorrectly they could get a parking charge.

Morrisons

If someone parks their car incorrectly they’re politely asked to move, or a sign is placed on their windscreen.

Tesco

An external agency might issue a parking charge notice (PCN) to anyone wrongly parked.

Aldi

If a customer has noticed someone misusing a parent and child bay they’re encouraged to report it to the store manager. However, they’re unable to enforce this as there are limited staff in store.

Lidl

Lidl monitor the use of parent and child parking bays. They say that they strongly rely on the honesty of customers to park correctly.