Relief as man's blue badge arrives after BBC story

Wayne Sharp says he can now "carry on" with his life after worrying his blue badge would not be renewed in time

An army veteran who feared a delay in his disabled blue badge being renewed would take his "independence away" has spoken of his "relief" after it arrived with days to spare.

Wayne Sharp, 61, from Oulton Broad, near Lowestoft, Suffolk, previously told the BBC that he submitted his renewal to Suffolk County Council as soon as he could on 17 June, with it due to run out on 8 September.

He said hours after speaking to the BBC last week he received confirmation his badge had been processed.

Suffolk County Council previously said extra staffing had been put in place to deal with a backlog of blue badge requests.

Mr Sharp, who suffers from several neurological and mobility issues, said having a blue badge "makes my life so much easier".

He said he had done "everything by the book" but could potentially face sanctions if he used an expired blue badge.

One week on, he told the BBC that hours after his story had been shared he got an email from Suffolk County Council saying his blue badge had been processed and was on its way.

It arrived on Thursday, just three days before his current badge was due to expire.

He said: "I am very relieved because it means I can carry on with my life as I have been doing.

"You know, without it, it would have caused a lot of problems.

"Lets hope this has put the council into a better gear to help other people."