Blue Badge holders are protected from having their vehicle wheel clamped for public or 'on-street' parking offences, according to official Gov.uk guidance. However, this protection only applies if the badge is displayed correctly.
Display rules for protection
The Blue Badge must be displayed on the dashboard, clearly legible through the front windscreen, with the front of the badge facing upwards and the hologram showing. Incorrect display can result in parking fines or penalty charge notices.
It is also an offence to display the badge if the disabled person it belongs to is not in the vehicle, with an exception for drivers who have just dropped off or are about to pick up the disabled person.
What to do if clamped
Citizens Advice recommends complaining if a bailiff has clamped a vehicle despite a correctly displayed Blue Badge. The advice is to complain to the creditor—the person or company money is owed to—explaining how the bailiff has broken the rules and asking them to tell the bailiff to remove the clamp.
A complaint should also be sent to the bailiff directly, which may help later if complaining to the creditor does not resolve the issue. The bailiff should also be asked to remove the clamp.
Parking restrictions still apply
Blue Badges do not allow parking anywhere. Badge holders must ensure they are not causing an obstruction, inconvenience, or danger to other road users or pedestrians.
This includes avoiding parking too close to school entrances, bus stops, on a bend, or near the brow of a hill or hump bridge; opposite or within 10 metres of a junction; where it would make the road narrow; where it would hold up traffic; where emergency vehicles stop; where the kerb has been lowered or the road raised for wheelchair users; or on a pavement unless signs permit it.
Although wheel clamping may not be an option, Blue Badge holders can still face prosecution, having their car towed or removed, or having their Blue Badge withdrawn.
