DRIVERS across the UK are wrongly taking advantage of parent and child parking spaces, leaving mums and dads battling to find spaces with young children in tow. That's according to an investigation by Confused.com, which saw 1 in four parent and child parking spaces across the UK being misused. Researchers monitored dedicated spaces in supermarkets to find a shocking number of people taking advantage of the extra space bays.

Confused.com isn't the only witness to this behaviour. New research found that more than 2 3rds (68%) of UK drivers have seen a parent and child parking space being used by someone without a child with them. Meanwhile, nearly a 3rd (29%) of drivers admit to wrongly using a dedicated parent and child parking space, be it a parent travelling without their kids (21%), or non-parents taking advantage of the extra-wide parking bay (8%).

Top reasons for misusing a parent and child parking space:-

► 32% say:- "It was late at night and I didn't think there would be any parents around."

► 31% say:- "There were plenty of parent and child parking spaces available."

► 29% say:- "I couldn't find another space."

► 25% say:- "I was only using the space for a few minutes."

► 21% say:- "I wanted to park close to the store."

► 14% say:- "I am or was travelling with a Blue Badge holder and there weren't any dedicated spaces available."

Over the past few months, car parks have been less busy than usual, and it seems this has attracted people to take advantage of parent and child bays. In fact, 13% culprits admit they've parked in 1 of these spaces during lockdown, with 14% claiming they knew there was no 1 around to enforce the rules.

However, while people are knowingly misusing parent and child parking spaces, the research also highlighted a lot of confusion around the restriction of these bays. In fact, 14% drivers find the rules around parent and child parking confusing, 8% drivers are unsure about the rules in their local supermarket. To clear up this confusion, Confused.com has compiled the guidelines for some of the top UK supermarkets so people can be confident they're adhering to the rules.

The misuse and confusion about parent and child parking bays are having a real impact on parents. 38% of parents of children under the age of 12 have been forced to leave a car park because they couldn't find a suitable parking space. But leaving isn't always an option, and 81% parents have had to find a space elsewhere.

To understand the impact this can have on parents, Confused.com has captured the frustration and struggles of having to park in a standard space in a short film. The video shows children struggling to get in and out of the car and a mum-of-three having to gather her kids on nearby bank to keep away from traffic.

As shown in the film, not being able to use a space has forced parents into some difficult positions. 54% of parents have struggled to get their child out of the car due to the lack of space, while nearly 24% had to carry their child across the car park because of the traffic. 22% even saw a car speeding which put their child at risk. And at the time of this happening, nearly 61% saw someone else misusing a parent and child parking space.

Given how dangerous a busy car park can be for parents with young children in tow, many people would like to see culprits penalised. In fact, nearly 24% are confused as to why car parks don't fine drivers for taking advantage of parent and child parking spaces. While not all supermarkets or other car parks currently penalise offenders, 28% of UK drivers would like to see fines enforced.

However, the issue doesn't always lie with the culprits, 43% drivers with young children don't think the parent and child parking spaces in their local supermarket are adequate. But there are also some situations where other drivers may need these spaces, leaving fewer available for parents. 42% drivers think heavily pregnant women should be allowed to use parent and child parking bays, 31% think that they should also be available for Blue Badge holders. While there's no clear rule on whether these particular drivers will be penalised for using a parent and child parking space, Confused.com suggests drivers should check with the store to make sure they aren't charged.

Alex Kindred, car insurance expert at Confused.com, says:- "Taking the kids shopping is a battle without the added stress of trying to find somewhere suitable to park. The rules are very clear: if you aren't travelling with a child, don't use the parent and child parking spaces, unless you have a very valid reason to. However, our research has proven that there are still many drivers who are confused about the rules. We've spoken to some of the top supermarkets to understand their guidelines and outlined what people can expect if they are caught taking advantage in our guide to parent and child parking. If you see someone wrongly using a parent and child parking space, you can report it using the details in our guide."

PEOPLE in the North West urged to sign RSPCA petition pressing Government to make good its promise to protect UK farm animal welfare as poll reveals 74% there want lower standard imports banned. The RSPCA is exposing the realities of American farm animal welfare in a new video from the US as the UK Government drags its feet on legal protection for welfare standards here despite the public's wishes.

As US farm animal welfare expert Lauri Torgerson delivers a stark message to UK consumers that failure to protect our hard won farm animal welfare improvements will risk products arriving on our supermarket shelves which are made to much lower welfare standards, the RSPCA has created a petition calling on Government to keep its manifesto commitment and enshrine in law to ban such imports.

The animal charity is urging people in the North West to sign the petition as a new poll conducted by Savanta ComRes reveals that 75% of adults in England (74% in the North West) agree that the Government should honour the commitment it made during the 2019 General Election to not lower animal welfare standards in trade agreements with other countries after leaving the European Union.

In a video detailing the poor conditions suffered by many US farm animals, Farm Sanctuary Research Director Lauri Torgerson, (former Director of Research at Mercy For Animals), said:- "Consumers want to know that the animals they are eating have been treated well, at least while they were alive, and we can't say that in the United States, at all. Our industrial animal system is designed to benefit huge, often multinational corporations at the expense of animal welfare, farmer well being and the earth. I think the UK has been a leader in animal welfare, and has a way to go still, but buying animal products from the US would dilute all the hard work that's gone into improving all the systems there and I think the average consumer in the UK would be disappointed to know that the products they're buying could be coming from systems in the US that don't support the rights of animals or humans, or the earth."

The RSPCA is calling on the Government to act now to protect the UK's animal welfare standards. Chris Sherwood, RSPCA Chief Executive, said:- "This video from the US gives a stark warning about what could end up on our supermarket shelves if the UK Government does not act now to legally protect our welfare standards. We know this is a concern for consumers and without clear legislation banning food produced to lower welfare standards from our shores, we risk setting back animal welfare by decades, causing the suffering of more animals to produce the food on our plates and failing to protect British farmers. We urge UK shoppers to sign this petition in the hope that the Government will listen to the British public and protect our hard-won farm animal welfare."

UK animal welfare is vulnerable to lower standard imports from the USA because:-

► Unlike the UK, the USA has no federal laws governing animal welfare during the rearing of species such as chickens and pigs.

► Egg laying hens in the US have nearly half the space than UK hens (350 cm2 per hen compared to 750 cm2 per hen)

► 52% of laying hens in the UK are free range, compared to just 5% in the USA, with 74% being caged hens. Barren battery cages, which were banned in the UK in 2012, are legal in the USA.

► The UK banned sow stalls (gestation crates) in 1999, whilst the major pig producing states in the USA still use them. Sow stalls leave pigs very little space to move around in as they prevent them from even turning around.

► The vast majority of the 60% of pork imported to the UK currently comes from the EU, so without a deal we will lose our major supplier leaving us vulnerable to lower standard pork imports.

► Chlorine washed chicken: Chicken carcasses are washed in chlorinated water to clean off the bacteria from sitting in this re-used litter which contains the waste of thousands of chickens from previous flocks.

► Beef cattle in the USA can be treated with hormones which have been banned by the EU.

Lauri explained how there were no US federal laws covering chicken or turkey welfare, despite them making up the vast majority of farmed animals in the country. She said:- "Three quarters of laying hens in the USA are living in battery cage systems which are awful for animal welfare. They result in severe behavioural restrictions, hens are unable to forage, dust bathe or nest, which are all really important behaviours for a laying hen to perform. The vast majority of broiler chickens in the US are raised in dark, barren sheds, at very high stocking densities, on the litter (floor covering) of several flocks. Imagine living on the litter that literally hundreds of thousands of birds who have lived their lives on. The reason that the US dips chickens in chlorine is that the birds are literally sitting in each others' waste; it allows them to kill the bacteria that is on the birds as a result of sitting in unsanitary conditions their whole lives. In the US, the majority of sows are still living out their lives alternating between a gestation crate and a farrowing stall. The gestation crate is not large enough for her to even turn around or lay down comfortably. There's usually no bedding and as a result she will end up with sores on her shoulders as a result of having to lay on this slatted floor."

Sefton launches new schemes to support the Hospitality Sector

SEFTON Council has been given additional funding to support the safe reopening of its high streets and other commercial areas to help support the Hospitality sector. The funding will help support the Sefton business community, with measures that enable safe trading in public places. As part of this project, Sefton Council is looking to extend the pavement areas outside local businesses, especially where the pavement area is limited. By using the parking bays, this will allow for social distancing where it would be difficult to do so otherwise, whilst still having consideration for all users of the highway, especially those with disabilities. The 2 main areas where this will be implemented are Coronation Walk and Union Street Southport, as we want to focus on our local high streets. The Council has already implemented the road closure on Court Road from The Grand Casino to Union Street, helping businesses in this area increase their trading and to add life and character back into the local area. The area will also be enhanced with planters which have been designed, built and installed by the Southport Flower Show to create an attractive area for customers to use.

Cllr Marion Atkinson, Sefton Council's Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Skills said:- "We understand how all businesses have been impacted by Covid-19, none more than the Hospitality sector. We have been working with businesses over the last few weeks to ensure they could open safely while we all play a part in keeping residents and visitors safe. These new initiatives will help us achieve this and at the same time help these independent businesses trade successfully over the next few weeks. A lot of the infrastructure being used has been designed and made by The Southport Flower Show again showing how we can and will support local businesses. We do hope these initiatives are a great success and we will continue to look at other areas."

Lisa Mendi, Local business owner (Bistro Bar Med and Medhito Cuban Latin lounge on Coronation Walk) said:- "We are so happy to be able to now offer our customers outside seating. Thanks to Sefton Council who have made this all possible, we are absolutely delighted. All our lovely customers old and new will now be able to enjoy their Tapas from Bistro Bar Med sat outside whilst sipping sangria. Then continuing their evening listening to the delights of chilled Latin beats and enjoying some cocktails whilst being outdoors (please check our Facebook page for other nights.)"

The Council have also adopted a new temporary pavement licence process, a streamlined consent route to allow businesses to obtain a licence to place temporary furniture, such as tables and chairs, outside cafes, bars and restaurants quickly. If any other businesses are interested in how this project may be able to assist, please contact the Sefton Tourism Department on:- Tourism@sefton.Gov.UK or to apply for a temporary pavement licence visit:- Sefton.Gov.UK.