Hundreds of able bodied motorists are getting away with illegally using disabled parking permits because local authorities are failing to take action against them.
An investigation has revealed that dozens of English councils fail to prosecute motorists for fraudulently using disabled parking permits.
Some 61 out of 152 local authorities told the Department for Transport (DfT) they do not have a policy for prosecuting drivers who abuse the blue badge scheme.
“We need to crack down on misuse of the system wherever possible.”James Taylor, head of policy at disability charity Scope
Disability campaigners have described the figure as reflecting a “staggering” failure by councils to exercise their “duty” to defend the interests of both disabled people and taxpayers.
James Taylor, head of policy at disability charity Scope, said: “Many disabled people rely heavily on their blue badges to live independently and we need to crack down on misuse of the system wherever possible.
“It appears that some councils take their work to weed out those who are not disabled more seriously than others.”
Blue badges allow disabled people to park free of charge in pay and display bays and for up to three hours on yellow lines. Furthermore holders in London are exempt from having to pay the congestion charge.
Campaigners point out that it is a criminal offence to commit blue badge fraud and fines could run to….
MORE: Able-bodied motorists ‘getting away’ with disabled parking fraud