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‘Zero-tolerance’ bid to beat blue badge cheats
A SIX-week crackdown on driving cheats using fake badges for people with disabilitiies has begun.
The council is building a database of information to discover if the blue badges – given to disabled drivers and allowing them to park anywhere for free – are forgeries.
Because there is no central database of valid permits it has been impossible to find out who is cheating.
One vehicle has already been taken off the road after the council’s fraud team discovered a false badge. The vehicle was displaying a forged white badge and owed £140 from three outstanding parking tickets.
Director of parking Alastair Gilchrist said: “We take a zero-tolerance approach to disabled badge misuse. Whether the badges are forged or fraudulently obtained, they are restricting the availability of parking spaces for those with a disability and genuine need of that parking place.
“We estimate that each badge is worth over £5,000 in benefits to the council in parking revenue. By clamping down on the misuse of disabled badges we are therefore saving the council money and able to provide a better facility for our disabled users.”
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