Councillor Bruce de Saram said he regretted his decision to park in the spot in the Exmouth Town Hall car park and paid the fine ‘promptly’

The deputy mayor of Exmouth has apologised for a ‘regrettable’ decision to illegally park in a disabled bay.

Councillor Bruce de Saram apologised after his car was spotted parked in the disabled bay at the town hall car park.

Pictures show the Littleham councillor’s car with a ‘deputy mayor on duty’ sign in the window taken on Thursday, March 7, this year.

Cllr de Saram told The Journal he parked in the bay as he was attending a meeting at the town hall and received a fine on his return to his vehicle.

He said the fine was paid ‘promptly’ out of his own income and has treated the incident as a learning experience.

“I regret any inconvenience I caused by parking there and this is a learning experience for me,” he said.

Disabled bays in the UK are reserved for official ‘blue badge’ carriers and it is illegal to park in one without a permit.