A DUNFERMLINE woman says she's been waiting more than six months for a disabled bay to be painted outside her home by Fife Council.

Despite being a blue-badge holder, Tracey Frain has essentially become trapped in her house as she is unable to walk far due to several debilitating medical conditions.

Neighbours have twice had to go to her aid when she has fallen because there has not been a parking space close enough to her home and now Tracey is frightened to go out knowing she might put herself at risk as soon as she goes out in her car.

The council say they put disabled bay applications on hold last year due to the pandemic to redeploy staff elsewhere.

Tracey, 45, told the Press: “I know I’m not the only one who will be suffering.

“When I first contacted the department in July to see what was going on, I was told there was a backlog of 60 applications, so you wonder how long the list is now!

“During the rest of the summer, I kept getting told that I was not a priority and that staff were on furlough.

“I also contacted my MSP who confirmed the applications were on hold.

“By October, I was told I could not be given a timescale and I’ve never had any word since – not even a note to say whether my application has been accepted!”

Tracey was issued a blue badge quickly but says she has not able to make use of it because she cannot get out of her house in the first place if there is no guarantee of a parking space.

“I can only walk so far,” she continued.

“My neighbours have actually had to pick me up twice when I’ve fallen because I couldn’t park near enough and that’s just put me off going out altogether because I don’t want to leave my space.

“Space for parking is very tight around our street and my neighbours who know my condition are leaving space for me but those from other streets just park there.

“I don’t want to be prioritised but I don’t think that the council should be expecting people to wait all this time for something that will make a huge difference for them.

“It infuriates me when I see council staff cutting hedges and painting yellow lines but not helping disabled badge-holders.”

Tracey, who also has a 19-year-old son studying at university, suffers from acute fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis and diabetes but has the support of her husband to take care of her.

She added: “I feel sorry for anyone that cannot get someone to do their shopping for them who is waiting for a badge.

“I could understand if it had to be put on hold for a short period but that was June when I applied and we’re now in January.

“The fact that there has been no communication for them is unacceptable too. The whole situation is just ludicrous.”

The council told the Press they had now restarted accessing applications but did not confirm how many applications there are in the backlog.

Phil Clarke, lead consultant for traffic management in South Fife, said: "Unfortunately, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, our disabled bay application process was stopped last year as our staff were redeployed to make sure key services continued for our most vulnerable customers.

“I'm pleased to say that we've now started working through these applications again and are currently working through the backlog. We'll be in touch with Ms Frain soon."