Blue badge thefts 'double in a year'

[annie]

Dispicable!!!

Thefts of blue parking badges used by disabled drivers have more than doubled in a year in England, figures suggest.

The latest Department for Transport data shows a 167% increase, from 656 thefts in 2012/13 to 1,756 in 2013/14.

Blue badges entitle drivers to free parking in pay and display bays and allow them to park in disabled zones.

The Local Government Association, which estimates a badge could be worth at least £6,000 a year in saved parking fees, said the rise was "alarming".

Thieves steal the badges to sell them on the black market or use them to get free parking, said the association, which represents councils.

At least 2.5 million disabled people hold blue badges, which are issued by local authorities, in the UK.

In London, holders are exempt from the congestion charge, saving them around £2,500 a year.
Thefts of blue parking badges used by disabled drivers have more than doubled in a year in England, figures suggest.

The latest Department for Transport data shows a 167% increase, from 656 thefts in 2012/13 to 1,756 in 2013/14.

Blue badges entitle drivers to free parking in pay and display bays and allow them to park in disabled zones.

The Local Government Association, which estimates a badge could be worth at least £6,000 a year in saved parking fees, said the rise was "alarming".

Thieves steal the badges to sell them on the black market or use them to get free parking, said the association, which represents councils.

At least 2.5 million disabled people hold blue badges, which are issued by local authorities, in the UK.

In London, holders are exempt from the congestion charge, saving them around £2,500 a year.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34020743

[debzsanderson]

This is terrible. Does anyone else notice that supermarkets seem to be giving preference to parent and child spaces outside the entrance?

[annie]

yes, Debz, that really annoys me, Sainsburys is the worst here, all the spaces for kids are in front of the door & there is no trolley park next to the disabled