Being a bit petty

It is a sad situation when too strict an application of the law interferes with our civil liberties.

I refer in this instance to the recent article in the Herald about three disabled people being prohibited from parking their vehicles outside the Methodist church in High Street, Sidmouth, to attend the service on Sunday mornings, despite having done so habitually for many years without troubling anyone.

I have learnt of another case, when a disabled person was fined for driving his invalid carriage through a park in a metropolis, where a notice indicated that motorised vehicles were not allowed, even though he inconvenienced no one.

Surely, magistrates and officers of the law ought to refer to the Disability Discrimination Act 1998 which clearly states that a disabled person cannot be excluded from any public space, provided they are not causing an obstruction.

It is astonishing that in the 21st century, when we have so great an emphasis on human rights, the law and its servants are guilty of being so literal and petty in applying it.

Miriam Brown

Sidmouth