Criminals are exploiting an informal agreement between the UK and European countries that permits disabled parking badges issued abroad to be used in Britain. British authorities warn that counterfeit documents from overseas are becoming harder to detect due to variations in design.
Fraud on the rise
Enforcers say fraud involving foreign Blue Badges is increasing, with fake permits purporting to come from Eastern European countries posing a particular problem. Last month, Enfield Council revealed it had prosecuted 12 people for misusing Blue Badges.
One case involved a counterfeit Bulgarian badge. Rumen Aleksandrov, 45, from Palmers Green in north London, was caught displaying a fake Bulgarian Blue Badge featuring a counterfeit hologram and no validity date in his BMW. He ignored a letter from the council questioning his paperwork before pleading guilty in court. The judge imposed a £250 fine, a £100 victim surcharge and £250 in costs.
Mass-produced fakes
Penalties for those caught abusing the system remain relatively modest, even as inspectors report a rise in fakes. Paul Slowey, chief executive of the National Agency for Blue Badge Fraud Investigations, said mass-produced counterfeit permits are being manufactured to take advantage of the scheme’s benefits, which include priority parking, the ability to park temporarily on double yellow lines, and exemptions from congestion charges and tolls.
Mr Slowey said: “The level of detected fraud involving fake badges is on the rise. They tend to be English first, then Polish, then other European badges. There seems to be a mass-produced manufactured fake badge as we are finding fakes with common fraud indicators.”
Previous cases
In 2018, Enfield caught another motorist using a fake Polish badge. Adrian Siwak, then 23 and from Tottenham, was stopped after council staff contacted Polish authorities, who confirmed the style of badge he displayed was no longer valid. Siwak drove off without providing his details but was later traced. He pleaded guilty and was fined £150, with £550 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.
The growing abuse is making it harder for genuinely disabled people to find suitable parking spaces. Councils have also faced criticism for issuing Blue Badges for certain “hidden disabilities”, including anxiety, prompting intervention from Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander in May, who said: “An ADHD diagnosis alone should not get you a Blue Badge.”
Government guidance
The Blue Badge scheme is overseen by the Department for Transport (DfT), but managed by councils. The department has issued guidance to local authorities on foreign Blue Badges, instructing them to “refuse to recognise an overseas badge if they have reasonable grounds to believe that it is fake or forged”. The guidance notes that the DfT is aware of cases where people may be attempting to use fake badges claimed to have been issued by another member state. It highlights that disabled parking badges from some countries “vary in design”, making it “hard for local enforcement officers to verify their authenticity”.
A DfT spokesman said: “Abuse of the scheme, including using fraudulent badges of any kind, is a criminal offence and undermines support for the people this scheme is there to help. Local councils are responsible for fairly and rigorously enforcing the scheme in their area and have robust powers to act against abuse, including refusing to recognise an overseas badge where there are reasonable grounds to believe it is fake or forged.”
