Fred Large Picture: STUART HARRISON Ref: 76815-04A DISABLED driver says the council is sending out mixed messages about car parking.

Fred Large, 70, found out last week that disabled people were going to have to start paying to use its barrier-operated car parks, including Fleming Way.

But Mr Large, who uses a scooter because he has an asbestos-related disease of the lungs, normally parks in the disabled spaces on the ground floor of the Fleming Way car park which does not have a barrier as it is mainly used by council staff.

He phoned the council to find out if he would have to pay and says he was told the spaces were being removed and he would have to park upstairs.

But now the council says there are no plans to remove the four spaces.

"It seems they haven't decided what to do," said Mr Large, who is a retired decorator.

"They have had the whole of March to decide what they are going to do but they have not mentioned anything about those four spaces. They have not said anything until I kicked up a fuss about it.

"They don't know what they are doing."

Mr Large always tries to use one of the four ground-floor spaces as he can then leave the car park without the trouble of using a lift in his scooter.

Because of the time it takes to dismantle his scooter and get into his car Mr Large, of Fern-dale Road, likes to use a covered car park.

"It has always been really handy. I am not moaning about the charging. I don't mind paying if I am going to have one of those spaces on the ground floor."

Mr Large was also unhappy that the first he heard about the introduction of the charges was when he read it in the Adver.

"I read the Adver back to front," he said.

"This is how you find things out. I just couldn't believe it."

Caroline Pike, spokeswoman for Swindon Council, said that the four spaces would stay and apologised for Mr Large being given the wrong information when he rang the council.

"The designated disabled parking spaces on the ground floor of Fleming Way are still in existence and there are no plans to remove these spaces.

"All users of the barrier controlled car parks are now expected to pay for using these car parks.

"We apologise that Mr Large was misinformed."

Isabel Field