End abuse of parking lifeline, councillor pleads

Councillor David Coupe says he and his partner Val often see people using disabled bays they are not entitled to

Abuse of disabled parking bays must stop, a councillor has warned.

The national Blue Badge scheme gives disabled people access to specially adapted designated spaces.

Badge holders travelling either as drivers or passengers are allowed to park for free in on-street pay-and-display bays and for up to three hours on yellow lines - except where there are loading restrictions.

However, Conservative councillor David Coupe, who represents the Stainton and Thornton ward in Middlesbrough, said he regularly encountered bays being misused by people who either fail to display a badge or who do so despite not being the badge holder.

Middlesbough Council said there were currently 73 dedicated disabled bays in the town centre car parks it operates and 65 on-street bays.

'Utterly selfish'

Coupe, whose partner Val uses a Blue Badge, said: "We often struggle to find a parking space.

"We're not alone in this and that is completely unacceptable.

"Disabled parking bays provide an important lifeline for those who, for any number of reasons, need easier access to a whole range of services and amenities.

"For those without disability to use them is utterly selfish and we need to put an end to this lazy behaviour."

Anyone misusing a badge can be prosecuted and fined up to £1,000.

The council said 676 penalty charge notices had been issued between September last year and the end of August for failure to clearly display a valid badge while parked in a disabled bay.

As well as regular patrols, civil enforcement officers can carry out targeted inspections if they have reason to believe a badge is being misused.

Earlier this month, the Blue Badge Fraud Investigation agency told the BBC it was confiscating "more fake badges than ever before" and the scheme was being "thoroughly abused" by those wanting to get free parking they are not entitled to.