AN injured driver says he has found a flaw in the disabled drivers' badge scheme.
Mr Andrew Potter, 37, of Longroyd Crescent, Slaithwaite, fractured his shin after falling down steps at home.
He now has his leg in plaster from toe to hip and is out of action for 12 to 16 weeks.
He cannot put pressure on his leg and walking any distance is difficult and painful.
But he has been told he does not qualify for a blue disabled badge because he is not permanently disabled and there is no such thing as a temporary badge.
His wife has tried to park in disabled badge spaces when driving her husband around but has been told to move on.
"I can't see why they can't issue a temporary badge for people like me," said Mr Potter.
"They could make it a different colour so that there was no chance of using it beyond a set period of time.
"At the moment I am a disabled driver and it is not fair that I am not treated as such.
"I am not the only person in this position - there must be countless other people with the same problem," he said.
A spokeswoman for Kirklees Council said the disabled persons' Blue Badge scheme was a national scheme set by central Government and administered by local authorities.
Regulations say that an applicant's inability to walk, or severe difficulty in walking, must be permanent if the person is to be eligible to receive one.
People may also be eligible under a discretionary scheme if they have a permanent and substantial disability which makes walking difficult.
"The Government is reviewing legislation. One issue highlighted during the review was a proposal for the issuing of temporary badges for people with a clearly defined temporary mobility problem of over 12 months but less than three years," she said.
"However, we know of no plans to change legislation at the moment.
"We recognise that blue badges make a significant impact on people's lives. We issue about 5,000 per year. In Kirklees, there are about 15,000 blue badges in use at any one time."
Anyone wanting to know more about Blue Badges can contact their local Social Services Information Point at Civic Centre 1, Huddersfield, 01484 223000.
