A DISABLED driver has hit out at traffic wardens for ignoring what he calls a "blatant abuse of the system and flouting of the law" by taxi drivers parking in bays for disabled people.

In a letter to the city council, Rob Styles, from Church Lane, Hallow, said the problem of taxi drivers parking in spaces for disabled drivers and loading bays in St Swithins Street and The Cross needed "urgent attention".

The 51-year-old, who has back trouble and the use of only one leg, said he is angry that he pays council tax for traffic wardens when the system does not seem to operate on a level playing field.

He added the city's traffic wardens seemed oblivious to "an obvious lack of consideration for the disabled" even though there was a police CCTV camera in the area.

"Why is it that 99 per cent of motorists would be prosecuted for parking in disabled bays without the relevant blue badge, yet there is a blatant abuse of the system and flouting of the law by taxi drivers?" Mr Styles asked.

"Not only are they commandeering the designated disabled parking but also the loading bays and almost any double yellow lines they feel like, in what can only be described as one of Worcester's worst and most congested bottlenecks."

Kashmir Dhadwar, city council parking manager, said he had been aware of the problems for some time and was deciding on the best way to tackle them.

"The trouble is as soon as the offending vehicles spot a traffic warden, they drive off," he said.

"But this is something we are very conscious of and we will be setting up a series of blitz sessions, issuing tickets to work as a kind of deterrent to stop this happening.

"We will be contacting Worcestershire Taxi Drivers Association reminding them not to park where they shouldn't and we are looking to talk to police about clamping in the area."

Ziafat Hussain, chairman of the Worcester City Taxi Drivers Association, said it was wrong for taxis to park in areas meant for disabled motorists. But he pointed out that taxis were allowed to park in the loading bay area of St Swithins Street between 7pm and 7am.

He said the city council should stop issuing taxi licences because there are around 200 taxis in Worcester and much of their income comes from picking up people from The Cross.

"We have taxis fighting over a few spaces," Mr Hussain said.