A disabled man has accused Enfield Council of discrimination after he was told he would have to pay £200 for exclusive use of his parking bay.

Matthew and Margaret Allen, who live on Amersham Avenue in Upper Edmonton, have had a disabled parking bay on their street for several years and a blue badge enabling them to use it.

But unless they obtain a designated number from the council, anyone who has a blue badge is entitled to use the bay.

And if they want to get a designated number, they will have to pay £200 – while those having new disabled parking bays installed do not have to pay a penny.

Mr Allen said: “It is discrimination. If you are an existing disabled person with a long-standing bay, you are not entitled, without paying £200, to have a number put on it.

“Anyone with a blue badge from wherever can park in our bay, and we can’t do anything about it.

“Someone parked there the other week and they didn’t have a blue badge. If it is designated, only people in the house can park there.”

Mr Allen has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and his wife has osteoarthritis.

He said the expansion of the Tottenham Hotspur stadium meant more people would be parking in the area on matchdays and may occupy their parking bay.

Mr Allen added that the situation was unfair because if you applied for a new disabled parking bay “the council would fit it and give you a designated number for nothing”.

Tottenham Hotspur FC says it will offer fans more than the required minimum number of free disabled parking spaces at its new stadium.

An Enfield Council spokesperson said: “The council introduced ‘exclusive-use’ disabled bays in 2016, and these have proved to be a popular and effective way of helping residents with restricted mobility.

“This new type of bay is better than its predecessor, which could in theory be used by anyone with a valid blue-badge.

“The provision of new disabled bays has been free for many years but we ask those that already benefit from a bay to help us meet the cost of upgrading it to an exclusive bay.

“The £200 one-off contribution has been frozen since 2016 and helps cover the significant administration and legal costs, as well as the necessary changes to the bay markings.

“We understand the couple’s concerns, but we feel that it is highly unlikely that anyone will choose to use the bay in Amersham Avenue on event-days at the new Tottenham Hotspur FC stadium as blue-badge holders will be able to park much closer, including some at the stadium itself.”