Disabled drivers angry at having to pay to use Shropshire Council car parks have threatened to mount a legal challenge against the authority calling for the charges to be scrapped.

Since April, when controversial new charges were rolled out across the county, blue badge holders have been forced to pay to use all the council’s car parks. Now some drivers have demanded the fees are scrapped.

The move comes after they learned that councils in Oldham, Norfolk and Lincolnshire made a U-turn when threatened with legal action for alleged breaches of disability discrimination law, namely the new Equality Act.

Members of North Salop Wheelers Advocacy, which represents and supports people in rural north Shropshire, have written to Shirehall bosses demanding action.

But officials insist they carried out a full public consultation last year before any changes were introduced.

Keith Wood, from NSW Advocacy, said in a letter to the council: “We would hope that Shropshire Council will take the matter of the Equality Act seriously as some of our more vociferous members intend to mount direct action via the courts if not.

“The Equality Act makes it a legal obligation for your authority to treat all disabled people equally, not just the majority or those in extreme situations.”

He added that there had been reports of blue badge holders facing problems using Wem’s main car park, where parking for two hours now costs 10p, with the first hour being free, because of difficulty accessing the ticket machines.

He said: “We do not believe your authority has assessed the risk to the disabled properly and needs to ensure everyone has safe, and permanent access to a meter within reasonable reach of the designated parking places.”

In a letter of reply to NSW Advocacy, council officer Samantha Tharme said: “We took a decision to charge for spaces based on the view that good provision is more important than providing a free space, but also on the basis that the council incurs costs in providing these spaces.”

By Tom Johannsen