THE manager at The Hollies Day Centre in Musselburgh is urging motorists to be more considerate after a wheelchair-bound woman got trapped in a minibus.

The vehicle had arrived outside the High Street premises to drop the woman off at the lunch club just before Christmas – but the tail lift could not be used because of parked vehicles.

Councillor Fraser McAllister, the centre’s interim chairman, said: “Police were unable to trace the car owners so the manager was forced to stop the traf?c heading east while the bus driver parked brie?y across the road and an escort helped a shivering lady to join her friends dining in the warmth of The Hollies.”

Manager Liz Shannon said that there was a bus bay reserved for the centre and traffic cones were also put down to stop vehicles parking.

That day, a parked car was encroaching on the centre’s bus bay and another directly behind it had been left on double yellow lines.

She claimed that cars were regularly parked outside the centre and motorists even moved the traffic cones to make way for their vehicles.

She stressed that the centre was “a lifeline” for many pensioners, adding: “It is vital our reserved bus bay is not encroached upon by other vehicles.

“We gave the trapped lady hot soup and tried to keep her spirits up but she had an unnecessary discomfort for 20 minutes. I would ask that drivers have a bit of consideration.

"I also hope they bring back the traffic wardens.

“The normal buses are having trouble too because of double parking.”

Sergeant Stephen Boyd said: “Where resources permit, we can assist with this problem. Hopefully the introduction by East Lothian Council of parking attendants will completely defuse the situation when they are deployed later on this year.”