A police car parked in a disabled bay outside an Ashford shop has sparked anger among shoppers.

A female officer was spotted leaving the vehicle in the prime spot - despite several other spaces being available.

She is said to have then run into the Co-operative store, in Faversham Road, Kennington, for a "drinks break".

Kent Police today said it was "not acceptable" for the driver to have left the car in the bay, adding the force will be taking action against the officer.

"Officers should abide by the laws, not break them..." - shopper Richard Penfold

The patrol car was snapped parked in the disabled bay by Richard Penfold, who lives in Kennington.

He said: "Should this be acceptable? There was no emergency, just a shop break for drinks.

"The car was parked there for a good 15 minutes. The car park does get very busy, but there were three or four spaces available to park in. If that was me, I would have got a ticket and be fined."

Mr Penfold added the officer "looked around to check to see if anyone was looking".

He added: "Officers should abide by the laws, not break them."

A Kent Police spokesman said: "There appears to no reason why this car was parked in a disabled bay.

"It is not acceptable for anyone to park in a designated area unless they have a disability and we certainly do not expect our officers or staff to abuse this provision.

"We shall be taking action with the driver concerned."