A 71 YEAR old registered disabled man who painted his own parking bay outside his home in Gargrave has been found guilty of criminal damage.

Michael Stodart denied damaging the surface of West Street by painting Keep Clear in large white letters, claiming he had used a water-based paint and had cleaned it off with a power washer he used to clean his car.

But Skipton Magistrates, after hearing criminal damage did not have to be permanent, and because he had admitted painting the words, found him guilty of damage put at under £5,000.

But, taking into account he had power-washed it off himself, and no permanent damage had been caused, he was given a six month conditional discharge, with the warning the offence could be revisited if he appeared in court in the meantime.

Prosecuting Andrew Nixon said Stodart had been invited by North Yorkshire Council to apply for a disabled parking bay after Keep Clear words appeared on the road outside his housing association bungalow between August 1, 2015 and September 30, 2015.

But the application had been refused and the words, and two lines - from the pavement towards the middle of the road - had re-appeared.

Stodart denied painting the lines, and told the court they had been painted by council contractors after the road had been resurfaced and slightly wider apart than original lines.

He admitted painting the Keep Clear words - but to show the contractors where to paint them.

He claimed when he moved to Gargrave several years ago, there was a disabled parking bay outside the property and it was only when changes were made to the access of the village hall, opposite, was the parking bay removed.

The court heard in his application to the council he said it was impossible to park outside his house because of users of the village hall and 'tourists' who parked on all the roads.

John Mewies, for Stodart, said his client had acted out of desperation. He was of previous good character, and suffered from a number of medical conditions, including high blood pressure and type two diabetes.

He now has a disabled parking bay, off West Street and on housing association land.

Stodart, who told magistrates he would be appealing his guilty verdict, will also have to pay costs of £80 and a surcharge of £20.