TESCO shoppers who park in spaces meant for disabled people or parents with young children could now face a £70 fine.

The supermarket giant has trialled a new mobile app which allows staff to report misuse of its parking spaces and is now rolling out the system to 200 stores - including shops in Essex.

Anyone who is reported for incorrectly using the spaces will receive a fine of £40 which rises to £70 if it goes unpaid for a fortnight.

Independent councillor for Highwoods in Colchester, Gerard Oxford, who is wheelchair-dependent, voiced his support for the crackdown.

He said: "It's long overdue. I think we should be much, much harder on it.

"I have actually just parked in Tesco car park with my badge up and there were four cars next to me without one.

"There are so few disabled spaces around they should be available for the people that legitimately have a badge."

He added: "I suppose the fine is a good starting point. It might make people think again."

Tesco confirmed it would not make any money from the new scheme which was tested at 81 UK stores.

A spokesman for Tesco said: "Many of our disabled customers rely on our disabled parking bays, so we’ve introduced our self-monitoring initiative to highlight the importance of using the bays properly, making it fairer and easier for everyone to find a parking space."

The handheld devices are shared and will move between different Tesco stores.