A CRACKDOWN on the fraud and misuses of blue badges across the county is being backed by Worcestershire County Council.
Community and environmental protection officers, civil enforcement officers and council officials from across the county will be actively inspecting Blue Badges in locations with on-street disabled parking and district car parks looking for those who misuse or illegally hold Blue Badges.
The crackdown is being led by all the district councils and is a county wide clampdown.
When a badge is misused, genuine Blue Badge holders lose out on access to disabled parking bays which are closer to shops and services, to allow for easier accessibility and wider to accommodate using a mobility aid.
A survey of councils in England by the European Institute for Combating Corruption and Fraud found the cost of detecting blue badge fraud in 2014/15 was £2.2million.
Government statistics state there are currently 2.6 million blue badges in circulation and estimates misuse of the blue badge concession to be as high as 20 per cent with a total cost to the UK economy of £46 million.
