Five able-bodied drivers have been fined more than £4,000 after they were caught taking advantage of Blue Badges they were not entitled to in Bromley.

In three cases, the drivers were prosecuted for using cancelled Blue Badges; two had been reported as stolen and one had been cancelled after the holder had passed away.

In the other two cases, the vehicle owners were prosecuted for "failing to provide information relating to the identification of a driver" after a suspected misuse incident. 

One of these cases involved the display of a stolen badge, and the other involved the display of a badge after the holder had passed away.

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Councillor Angela Page, Executive Councillor for Public Protection and Enforcement, said: “The Blue Badge scheme supports people with genuine disabilities by providing designated parking spaces.

"Flagrant abuse of the blue badge scheme simply cannot be tolerated and, where misuse occurs, offenders will be prosecuted without exception.

"I would urge anyone, please, who is in possession of a Blue Badge that has expired, been found, or is no longer needed to return it immediately to the Council shown on the badge.”

To qualify for a Blue Badge, which allows priority parking, a person must have a permanent and substantial disability that causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking.

They come with conditions, such as that holders must never allow friends or relatives to use the badge to run an errand on their behalf. 

Miss Natalie Dargie of Pelliper Gardens, Greenwich, displayed a Blue Badge after the holder had passed away to park in a car park in central Bromley.

Mr Haider Ali Zubair of Coombe Lea, Bromley, and Mr Archibong Essien of Mundell’s Drive, Basildon, both displayed Blue Badges that had been cancelled after being reported as stolen. 

Mr Zubair parked in a disabled bay on-street in Bromley town centre, and Mr Essien were found to have parked on a yellow line in Beckenham town centre.

However Mr Essien's conviction was later quashed and the charge withdrawn. 

Mrs Michelle Murray of Canterbury Road, Croydon, displayed a stolen Blue Badge when when her vehicle was parked in a disabled bay on-street in central Bromley.

Jamie Puncheon of Talcott Path, Tulse Hill, displayed a Blue Badge after the holder had passed away.

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