Five people have been fined for flouting the blue badge rules in Calderdale ... and more prosecutions are on the way.

The blue badge scheme is for people with severe mobility problems and badges can only be used by the holder or in a vehicle which is used to transport the badge holder.

Calderdale Council prosecuted five people at Bradford Magistrates Court for offences of illegally displaying a blue badge permit. All were caught using another persons badge to avoid paying car parking fees.

They were found guilty (two found guilty in absence) and the court imposed fines and costs ranging from £230 to £935. All together the fines and costs totalled £3,261.

They are Charlotte Rhodes-Frazer, of Albert View, Pellon, Halifax; Kenneth Patton, of Grebe Close, Clayton Heights, Bradford; Simon Dewhirst, of Limes Avenue, Halifax; Daniel Mason, of Denfield Gardens, Halifax; Najib Ullah, of Devon Street, Halifax.

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Communities, Clr Susan Press, said: “We are committed to tackling blue badge fraud and the fines in these cases show that the courts also take a strong stance on the issue. These cases will hopefully act as a deterrent for those who are tempted to illegally benefit from the scheme.

Clr Susan Press, Calderdale Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Communities,

“We won’t hesitate to take action against blue badge fraud and we’ve recently had a number of successful action days to crack down on abuse of the scheme with more planned in the near future.

“In Calderdale, we do all we can to ensure that blue badges are not being misused and disabled parking spaces are used by those who genuinely need them.

“These cases are part of a wider crackdown on the issue of blue badge fraud. There are currently a number of investigations taking place into abuse of the scheme and further cases are set to appear in court soon.”

If you suspect a blue badge is being used illegally we encourage you to report it.

Visit https://www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/sites/default/files/misuse-bluebadge_0.pdf