A driver has been ordered to pay £1,480 after unlawfully using his dad’s blue badge as Southend Council continues its crackdown on abuse of the system.

On October 31 2024, Mark Thomasson, 37, of Tickfield Avenue, Southend was convicted at Southend Magistrates Court of unlawfully using a disabled person’s blue badge and failing to produce it without reasonable excuse.

Thomasson was ordered to pay a £200 fine, £1,200 in costs and an £80 victim surcharge.

The case began on September 1, 2023, when the council’s counter fraud and investigation team conducted a plain-clothes blue badge fraud prevention and detection exercise in central Southend.

Thomasson was found parked in a pay and display bay displaying a blue badge and when he was asked to present a badge for inspection, he refused and drove away, with further investigation revealing the badge belonged to his dad.

When Thomasson was stopped by the investigation team officers, he was not carrying or collecting his dad and during an interview, he claimed he had dropped his father off nearby and refused to present the badge believing it might be a scam.

He also stated he drove away to collect his father, but the council claims CCTV evidence did not support the account and magistrates ultimately found Thomasson’s testimony “inconsistent and no credible”.

Councillor Martin Terry, responsible for community safety, said: “This prosecution demonstrates Southend-on-Sea City Council’s determination to crack down on blue badge cheats.

“Such misuse undermines a system designed to assist those with disabilities and impacts our community’s resources.

“We are committed to protecting the integrity of the blue badge scheme and ensuring that those who exploit it face appropriate consequences.”

Southend Council is currently taking part in a broader driver to deter fraud and reinforce the “credibility of the blue badge system”.

A spokesman said: “By taking decisive action, Southend Council aims to safeguard the rights of legitimate badge holders and maintain public trust.

“If anyone has suspicions concerning blue badge misuse or other types of fraud against the council, please call the counter fraud and investigation team on 01702 215254 or email counterfraud@southend.gov.uk. “All information received is treated in the strictest confidence.”