Crackdown nets blue badge abusers

There are more than 17,000 disabled badge holders in Kirklees, but some able-bodied drivers use badges belonging to a friend or relative.

Between July last year and this
March, council officers took action against 20 drivers illegally using the badges.

Four were brought before the courts and the rest received cautions. This figure has risen to 27 investigations of blue badge misuse since April this year.

In the latest patrol in Huddersfield and Dewsbury town centres in early May, a further six cases were identified. These cases 
may result in prosecutions.

The council’s investigation 
officers have increased their expertise in identifying fraudulent users and prosecuting them, according to a spokesman for the authority.

Kirklees Council’s joint cabinet member for resources, 
Coun Shabir Pandor, said: “Misuse of blue badges will be 
dealt with in a robust manner – this is not just illegal, it’s morally wrong.”