Hammersmith & Fulham Council: Beware of blue badge vigilantes

Disabled drivers are being warned that some disgruntled people are taking the law into their own hands to stop them from parking on the streets.

Hammersmith and Fulham council has been made aware of several instances where disabled motorists have returned to their vehicles to find a notice slapped on the window. The notice says that they are suspected of misusing their disabled blue badge and illegally carries the council's logo.

The council would like to reassure disabled drivers that it is not responsible for these unofficial notices.

Cllr Nick Botterill, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment, said: "We strongly condemn this vigilante-style approach to possible misuse of blue badges which could cause distress to genuinely disabled people. We will be working with the police to track down whoever is putting these notices on cars."

If one of these notices is placed on your car, or if you know who is issuing them please call 020 7371 5678.

And in a separate development, a blue badge fraudster has been fined £900 for using a stolen badge.

Hadir Same, 32, of Windermere Avenue, Wembley was displaying the stolen document in his black BMW in Fulham. Investigations revealed that the genuine badge holder, a 70-year-old disabled woman from Wembley, reported the badge stolen from her vehicle in September 2007.

Officers from H&F’s parking enforcement team joined forces with Brent Council and Same’s car was towed to the car pound in Barclay Road, Fulham and impounded. The blue badge was recovered when Mr Same arrived to collect his car and he was arrested.

Cllr Botterill added: “The vast majority of blue badge holders use their permits legally but some people take advantage of the scheme. The actions of this man were both illegal and selfish too and deprived a genuine holder of their parking space. Disabled people and residents should rest assured that we will do everything in our power to prevent people from fraudulently using a blue badge.”