Chelsea football captain John Terry was caught illegally parking in a disabled bay on Friday afternoon.

The £100,000-a-week Chelsea defender, who also captains the England team, slipped into the parking space in Esher High Street just after 12.30pm before enjoying a leisurely family lunch in nearby Pizza Express - shocking onlookers.

He has been strongly criticised for his actions - for which he received a £60 fine - as the restaurant is only yards from the 50p-an-hour Civic Centre car park.

"It is pretty disgraceful and I am very annoyed by it," said Councillor Jimmy Cartwright, who is chairman of Elmbridge Access Group, which aims to improve disabled facilities in the borough.

"This man is supposed to be a role model but by doing this he is showing a blatant disregard for the law and for the needs of disabled people in the borough."

"This wasn't just stopping for two minutes. He was parked there for a long time and that is a long time depriving someone else who could have needed it a lot more, its terrible behaviour."

"He should be setting a better example, but he isn't thinking about the principle and he clearly doesn't care about the financial penalty. He deserves all the criticism he gets."

Elmbridge Access Group treasurer Colin Wheatley, who suffers from Motor Neurone Disease and is disabled, said he would not single Terry out for particular criticism because in his opinion everyone flouting the law in this way should be severely punished.

A spokesman for Terry said the England captain was sorry and it would not happen again. He also apologised for any inconvenience caused to anyone needing the parking space.