Drivers are being urged to report fellow motorists who may be breaking parking rules at Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and other major UK supermarkets.
Supermarket shoppers are being encouraged to keep an eye on other customers to make sure that they are not incorrectly using parent and child parking bays.
The wider bays are designed to give parents enough space to get young children in and out of cars, especially useful for those with children who still sit in pushchairs.
They are also typically located nearer the entrance to stores, meaning children don’t have to walk across busy car parks in order to get inside.
However, because of their convenience, the parking spaces are sometimes used by those without children.
Drivers are being encouraged to report those misusing the designated parent and child parking to supermarket managers, as supermarket car parks are private property.
The RAC says: “Parent and child parking bays are found in private car parks across the country, particularly in supermarkets.
“The dedicated spaces will usually display an image of an adult and child on the floor or a nearby signpost. Sometimes both are used.
“In the frustrating event that you spot someone misusing a parent and child bay, it’s best to talk to a store manager.
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"Approaching somebody using a dedicated bay without young passengers could lead to a hostile situation, so try not to get carried away by the injustice of it all.”
Car park loophole to help you avoid parking tickets
Little-known loopholes could save drivers in England from having to fork out on hefty parking ticket fines in car parks.
It comes as new research found that 3.5 million parking fines were dished out to tradespeople alone last year, costing more than £177 million.
Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), or parking fines, can be anywhere between £50 - £70 each outside London and up to £160 in the capital, but are normally halved if paid within 14 days.
Alison Traboulsi, product manager at Direct Line who conducted the research, said: “Parking is a regular battle for many tradespeople.
“Navigating a multitude of different parking controls and council permits can be complicated, so it is not surprising that many tradespeople are hit with parking fines, clamping, or being towed.
“Some will say it’s part and parcel of the trade but with an estimated 3.5 million fines issued in the past year, these parking battles are costing tradespeople across the country millions of pounds.”
However, there is a little-known loophole that will allow drivers to avoid the hit to their bank accounts.
A grace period of ten minutes exists, allowing drivers a bit of extra time to get back to the vehicles once their parking ticket expires.
The leniency to the rules was introduced by the Government in April 2015, and has allowed drivers to avoid fines in regulated streets spaces or council car parks if they overstay by up to ten minutes.
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The Government ruled that “enforcement should be sensitive, fair and proportionate”.
It added: “This would not be the case if a driver received a penalty charge notice (PCN) for returning to their vehicle only moments after the expiry of a period of permitted parking.”
Further guidance states: “No penalty charge is payable for the contravention where the vehicle has been left beyond the permitted parking period for a period not exceeding 10 minutes."
The rule only applies in England, will only be applicable to those who park in regulated on-street parking or in car parks run by the local authority.
Motorists parking in private car parks will not be protected by the grace period.
