Blue badge fraud in Herefordshire up by nearly fifth

The fraud let to six prosecutions, 37 penalty notices and 21 written warnings

Blue badge fraud across Herefordshire soared by nearly 20 per cent - with some being altered and others belonging to people who had died still in use.

There were 64 cases of misuse in 2022, up from 54 the year before, a report by the council's counter-fraud manager Jonathan Nelson said.

It led to six prosecutions, 37 penalty notices, 21 written warnings and the badges were seized in all cases.

Badges are issued by councils at a charge of £10 and last three years.

Cases of drivers using someone else's permit had fallen, but numbers of expired ones still in use had grown, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Three cases involved badges belonging to "deceased users" while two more concerned "fictitious or altered" badges.

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [e-mail]