Resident fined over blue badge misuse
A local resident has been fined for dishonestly using a blue badge which was not theirs. They have been ordered to pay an £80 fine, plus £145 in costs and a £32 victim surcharge.
On Tuesday 1 December, Mr Smith of Norfolk Avenue, Leigh-on-Sea entered a guilty plea at Southend Magistrates Court under the charge of unlawful use of a disabled person’s badge contrary to s117 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.
In February 2020, the council’s counter fraud officers were investigating allegations of blue badge fraud and approached Mr Smith while he was parked on double yellow lines near a school and asked to inspect the blue badge he was displaying. Mr Smith allowed the officer to retain the badge for further checks and gave a false return address for it.
Officers from the council’s counter fraud and investigation team managed to trace Mr Smith and he made a full admission in an interview. The original owner lost the badge during a car sale, and the badge was discovered in the glove compartment of the car.
Cllr Ron Woodley, Deputy Leader and cabinet member for transport, capital & inward investment said: “Blue badge fraud is estimated to cost councils across the country £46m each year.
“We wholly support the use of blue badges for the most vulnerable members of society, but this sort of activity undermines a scheme aimed at assisting those that need it. We also have a duty to protect and act against those who fraudulently misuse these badges.
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