WITH the development now well under way in the town, the Minden medical centre former car park is now just a memory.

No doubt many people visiting the doctor will now use The Rock car park which is also adjacent to the medical centre. The car park has around five disabled spaces which soon get taken.

My wife, who has chronic asthma, has parked a number of times at the back of the car park, which is a few yards from Minden and she has left a note on the dash to say she is at the doctor's and the time she arrived, plus of course displaying her disabled badge.

But true to form, the NCP mafia shows the usual total lack of flexibility.

The other day my wife parked up at the back of the car park as all the disabled spaces were taken. As it happened a traffic warden was just passing so feeling a little anxious she asked him if it was OK to go and see her doctor. He replied: "No, you can't leave your car there unless you get a ticket."

My wife was quite taken aback by this. "Surely," she protested, "as the Minden car park is no more and all the disabled spaces are taken, I need to go in and see the doctor."

"Sorry", he replied, "I suggest you drive into John Street. There may be a few spaces available."

"But I have acute asthma," my wife protested.

"Sorry, if you park here you will get a penalty enforcement, but you are all right if you need to go in the pharmacy!"

All I can say is it is an absolute disgrace. Did we win the war 60 years ago for these little Hitler tinpot dictators to keep popping up everywhere?

On a more serious note, why did the authorities not allocate a reasonable number of parking spaces for Minden patients at the Rock car park at the time that Minden's own parking facility came to an end?

This short-term measure would have addressed the problem, for its disabled patients in particular, until the completion of the new medical centre with its own parking facilities.

PETER FRANKLAND Glenboro Ave Bury