Two Sussex Police officers parked their squad car in a disabled parking bay before walking away unhurriedly, according to an eye witness.

David Gurr, a 26 year old builder from Brighton, said he saw the male and female officers park in Beach Road, Littlehampton, get out of the car and walk casually towards the centre of town at lunchtime today (Wednesday).

"They parked up and walked towards the shops," he told The Argus.

"They gave me and my mates quite a smirk

"Their parking inconvenienced an elderly man a few minutes later.

"After they'd left an elderly man drive up and tried to squeeze into the space but there wasn't room, you can see from the photo.

"He opened his door, had a look, and drove off down the road."

Mr Gurr said the officers didn't seem to be in hot pursuit of a suspect when they parked at 12.15pm.

"There were no blue lights or anything, and they just walked casually off towards the shops, there was no urgency about it."

Sussex Police have explained that the car was parked for operational reasons.

Sergeant Chris Pipkin said: "This was a unit from the neighbourhood policing team at Bognor Regis who were making an arrest attempt in the area and spotted a man who appeared to be damaging a nearby telephone.

"No damage was caused, but the man was given words of advice and sent on his way.

"However, we are very aware that this may have caused inconvenience, albeit for a short period, and the officers concerned have been reminded to consider alternatives whenever possible."

Parking in a disabled bay can be a matter for the police itself, and can carry a fine of up to £1,000.

The government's advice on disabled bays states:"It is an offence to park a vehicle in a Blue Badge parking bay, without displaying a Blue Badge.

"If you see this happening you should report it to a traffic attendant or the local police."

"Police officers and traffic attendants have the right to inspect Blue Badges.

"It is an offence to refuse or fail to produce a badge for inspection, without reasonable excuse.

"This offence carries a maximum fine of £1,000."