Blue badges: Theft of disabled parking permits quadruple, figures show

'Callous thieves and unscrupulous fraudsters using them illegally are robbing disabled people of this independence'

Disability charity Scope warned the thefts could heavily impact on a person's ability to live independently (PA)

Disability badge theft has quadrupled in the last five years, figures released by the Local Government Association show.

Thefts of the permits rose 14 per cent from 2016 to 2017, ​and statistics have climbed for the fifth year in a row, rocketing from 656 incidences in 2013 to 2,921 last year.

More than two million disabled people use blue badges in the UK for parking in specially-designated bays.

LGA transport spokesman Martin Tett said the rise in thefts was “alarming”.

“[This] is clearly a crime on the rise and it is alarming that incidents have risen by more than 40 per cent in just two years,” he said.

“Callous thieves and unscrupulous fraudsters using them illegally are robbing disabled people of this independence.”

Disability charity Scope warned the thefts could heavily impact on a person’s ability to live independently.

“It’s appalling that people are stealing blue badges, which are a vital lifeline for those who genuinely need them,” said the head of communications, Richard Lane.

“Many disabled people rely on their blue badge to live independently, be part of the local community and contribute to their local economy.

“The police and councils need to ensure they are serving their disabled residents by cracking down on this abuse.”

In 2017 there were 1,131 successful council prosecutions against people abusing the scheme — up from 535 in 2014.

Mr Tett said it was vital police were able to “catch these criminals in the act”.

He said: ”Despite limited resources, councils continue to work hard to crackdown on this growing crime.

“More Blue Badge fraudsters than ever are being brought to justice by councils who will come down hard on drivers illegally using them.

“To help councils win the fight against Blue Badge fraud, residents must keep tipping us off about people they suspect are illegally using a badge, bearing in mind people’s need for a badge might not be obvious.”