Fury over 'sexist' parking bays

A Croatian shopping centre has introduced special parking spaces for women drivers.

But the move has not gone down well as female motorists resent the implication that they need the extra wide bays, while men resent the fact women are getting special treatment.

The bays, in the busy Emmezeta centre in Zagreb, were meant to make parking easier for female customers.

Decorated with pink flowers, the prime spots are wider, further apart, better lit and easier to get in and out of than ordinary spaces.

"Do they think we're disabled or something?" fumed one woman shopper.

"It's just old fashioned sexist nonsense to suggest that a woman can't park every bit as well as a man - if not better."

And male customer Ivo Markovcic complained: "Why should women get special spaces? You can understand disabled spaces and parking bays for people with children.

"But women should just learn how to drive properly."

Now shopping centre bosses have apologised for hurting their customers' feelings.

"We didn't mean any offence. Most of our customers are ladies and we just wanted to make their lives easier," said managing director Slobodan Skolnik.