Mounting frustration over the lack of parking provision for disabled people in Keighley has prompted the formation of a new pressure group.

The Keighley Blue Badge Action Group (KBBAG) has been set up to represent the interests of motorists with disabilities.

Malcolm Thomson, of the Disabled Drivers Motor Club, said he decided to help establish the new group because he was "fed up" with the situation in the town.

"Being disabled myself I felt I could understand the issues faced by people trying to find a place to park," he said.

"We're fed up with White Van Man, taxi drivers and people who claim they're just doing the shopping for their disabled granny.

"They're still parking in the spaces meant for blue badge holders."

The badges are meant to identify motorists who are entitled to park in disabled bays. Mr Thomson said: "We're getting two fingers stuck up to us and I've had a hell of a lot of complaints."

He said the new group now had six members and was searching for more potential supporters living in the district.

It intends to highlight the problem of people with no disabilities parking in blue badge spaces.

The group will encourage the authorities to take action against these offenders and will try to improve the existing provision for drivers with disablities.

Mr Thomson said it would also aim to tackle the issue of people using blue badges when they were not entitled to use them.

He said some people would often use a badge belonging to a disabled relative -- even when that person was not in the car with them.

He said: "We need to get across the message that the excuse 'I'll only be five minutes' is not good enough.

"I drove to the post office the other day and meant to use one of the two disabled bays just behind it. A taxi whipped into the space in front of me and the driver said he'd only be a couple of minutes.

"He said he was picking up a disabled passenger but he had a big pile of post in the back of his car.

"You can guess what he was really doing."

Mr Thomson said he had met with Keighley Town Council, which agreed something had to be done to resolve the issue.

He added that he and other campaigners would also present a survey about the lack of parking for the disabled to Bradford Council.

KBBAG will meet at the Keighley Disabled People's Centre, in Temple Row, at 1pm on Thursday, March 30.

Anyone interested in helping or joining the group can contact Mr Thomson on 01535 692329, or write to him at KBBAG, 242 Fell Lane, Keighley BD22 6BZ.