Big increase in disabled parking space fines

The number of fines issued to drivers misusing disabled parking areas in Southend over the past five years has gone up by more than 20%.

Southend Council issued 4,427 fines between January 2020 and September 2025, bringing in more than £146,000 in penalties.

Last year, the authority handed out 804 fines totalling £24,307, up from 780 in 2023. In 2020, there were 635 fines dished out.

Cabinet member Martin Terry said the figures underlined the council's commitment to ensuring disabled bays were not misused.

He said: "Misuse undermines support for those who genuinely need it and affects our community's resources.

"Anyone who attempts to exploit the system can expect action from us."

The crackdown follows a successful prosecution for Blue Badge fraud last month, which saw the offender plead guilty to unlawful use of a disabled person's parking badge and theft, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

He was fined £153 and ordered to pay a £61 victim surcharge and £500 in council costs.

Terry added: "This prosecution demonstrates our determination to protect the integrity of the Blue Badge scheme, and we will continue to crack down on this disgraceful behaviour."

Wheelchair user Nina Thames said she was not surprised about the increase in offences.

"Sometimes people think, 'Oh, it's no harm, I'm just popping in [to a shop]'," she said.

"I can't park in those regular spaces because I physically couldn't get my wheelchair in and out of the car.

"Often it means you are just driving around and around [looking for a disabled car space] or you have to give up your trip completely."

Norma Huxter, a retired disability trainer and advocate, said she was concerned about the misuse of disabled parking badges.

"If you think a badge is being misused, have a look at the year of the person's age, and if that doesn't correlate with what you see – we've seen this many times, young people getting out of the car with a badge that's issued to somebody in their 60s and 70s – you can report that as misuse," she said.