Salford council announces first blue badge prosecution

Mr Omer Ali Kahn of Deerhurst Drive in Manchester was fined £116 and made to pay costs of £350 with a victim surcharge of £46 at Manchester Magistrates Court on Friday 25 July. 

The offence took place on 13 November 2024 when Mr Khan used his deceased mother’s Blue Badge to park on George Street North in Salford.

The offence was found when civil enforcement officers were patrolling the streets. Officers noticed a Blue Badge that belong to a female in a silver Audi that was parked on double yellow lines on the road. Two men walked to the car, no female was present. On further investigation it was found the Blue Badge holder had died in 2023.

Councillor Barbara Bentham, Lead Member for Neighbourhoods, Environment and Community Safety at Salford City Council, said: “In November 2024 we announced a crackdown on the abuse of Blue Badges in our city. Just two days after our amnesty ended our enforcement officers found the Blue Badge of a deceased woman being used in the city.

“We have made a promise to local people that we will take Blue Badge fraud seriously and we are doing so. The fraudulent misuse of badges means that sometimes disabled bays are not available and those who are in genuine need of parking closer to facilities or wider spaces to get in out of wheelchairs are not able to do so.

“Our officers patrolling the streets are fully trained and sensitive in their work. Legitimate Blue Badge users do not need to worry as we are not here to target them - we are here to make their lives easier.”

Salford City Council uses spot checks, data sharing about lost, stolen and revoked badges and also public reporting to enforce the Blue Badge scheme.

It is a criminal offence under the Road Traffic Act to misuse a Blue Badge and more than 400,000 people hold a Blue Badge in the north west.