How often can I say Sorry?

The mp who caused a national furore after parking in a disabled bay says he has received support as well as abuse.

Totnes Tory member Anthony Steen, pictured right, left his distinctive green 43-year-old classic Volvo at Newton Abbot station to catch a London train.He said the car park was full, but there were plenty of empty spaces in the disabled area.

He was given a parking ticket, and created headlines in newspapers and on the radio across the country when he maintained the number of disabled spaces was disproportionate to the number of handicapped people living in the area.

Mr Steen admitted he was in the wrong and had apologised profusely, but insisted he had also drawn attention to a nationwide problem. "There is a huge amount of blue badge abuse, and I am told the badges are freely available on the black market for about £300.People are getting very steamed up because they think I am criticising the disabled, but I am not. I have a very good record of supporting disabled and other disadvantaged groups.The whole question of disabled parking needs looking at because there is a lot of abuse of the system.I have had a lot of criticism, some of it quite abusive, by email and letter, but about a third of the people who contacted me understood the point I was making and were supportive. Many admitted they had also made mistakes.Most of the media coverage has been very one sided, and I think there needs to be a balance. A lot of people are being very righteous about this. This has stirred up a real hornet's nest, and quite a few people are getting very steamed up."

Mr Steen has paid the £60 fines for the two days he was illegally parked, and added: "How many more times can I say sorry?

"There are no excuses, and I regret upsetting anybody. There are a lot more important things happening that warrant reporting rather than my little mistake."

Meanwhile, the Local Government Association has also highlighted the easy availability of forged blue badges. A survey revealed widescale abuse of the system, and found evidence of fakes being sold on e-Bay, and some changing hands for up to £1,500. "The scale of the black market is worrying, and something needs to be done," said Cllr David Sparks, the LGA chairman. "Introducing holograms on the badges would make forgeries easier to spot. Equally a national database could let councils share information and keep track of who is legally entitled to use the badges and who is breaking the law."