The Fianna Fáil mayor of Limerick has come under criticism after a photograph appeared of his car parked in a disabled parking space outside a council building.

Councillor Kevin Sheahan described the emergence of the picture as “political” after a female wheelchair user sent it to local media.

“It’s insulting and he is totally disrespecting the disabled people of Limerick. He should be made make a public apology,” the woman commented.

Yesterday evening, Cllr Sheahan defended his actions to the Limerick Leader saying: “I am not going to tell a lie, I am not going to try and dodge it.

“But I do think it is a bit harsh that someone had nothing better to do than take a photograph of my car at a time when there were at least two other parking spaces vacant in the same place. So parking in one for five minutes or less was not going to deprive anybody in my opinion.”

So we want to know, is it appropriate to park in a disabled parking space, even for a very short space of time?