A man has been caught using a 74-year-old woman’s blue badge to park his car in west London.
The driver was filmed getting out of the grey Toyota and nonchalantly walking away after stopping on Windsor Road in Ealing on Saturday.
But the man, who parked the vehicle just after 4pm, was using another person’s blue badge which is a criminal offence and could lead to a £1,000 fine.
Video footage taken by Ealing resident and local campaigner, Mark Uddin, showed the driver closing the car door in shock as he was asked about the parking badge’s misuse.
Without saying a word, the man grabbed his black Adidas bag and jacket and proceeded to walk off while putting his belongings on.
During the video, Mr Uddin, who is known as Walking Marky on social media said: ‘Nothing to say? It is not your blue badge, why are you using it?’
Speaking to the Daily Mail about the incident, the 62-year-old former Green Party candidate for Ealing Council said: ‘Blue badge misuse is rife.
‘The whole system to stop misusers and faulters is totally broken. The public needs to be more concerned about this.’
The man was caught parking the grey Toyota on Windsor Road in Ealing using a 74-year-old woman’s disabled parking badge
The man walked off when asked why he was using the blue badge without saying a word
Ealing local and campaigner, Mark Uddin, known on social media as Walking Marky spotted the man
He added that drivers ‘routinely exploit the area all day for parking’ because the road is near a shopping centre and tube station.
Mr Uddin began catching blue badge misusers and people at the wheel on their phones when he stopped working.
He claimed that since then he has reported more than 1,500 people who have committed car-related misdemeanors to Ealing Council.
‘I thought about doing something useful with my time and giving back to the community,’ he said.
‘I’m just going about my business and keeping my eyes open. I just care about my local community.’
It is illegal to misuse a blue badge and doing so can lead to the badge being confiscated or a £1,000 fine.
A friend or family member is not allowed to use the blue badge for the ‘benefit of the parking concessions,’ according to the Gov.UK website.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: ‘The Blue Badge scheme is a vital lifeline for millions of disabled people across the country.
The man grabbed his black Adidas bag and coat before walking off down the street
He put his belongings on as Ealing resident, Mark Uddin asked him why he was using someone else’s badge
‘While we cannot comment on specific cases, 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.’
Ealing Councillor Dominic Moffitt said: ‘The blue badge scheme is a vital service for disabled people to access the support and facilities they need.
‘Blue badge abuse is not a victimless crime and it will not be tolerated in Ealing borough.
‘We take all reports of suspected misuse seriously and will investigate wherever evidence is available.
