Crackdown on car parking abusers

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 12th May 2008

Disabled Parking Bays are for the disabled. No-one else

A crackdown is under way targeting hospital visitors who abuse disabled parking spaces in Leicester. Previously parking attendants have been unable to confirm if the person registered on a blue card was actually in the car. But from this week, parking staff at Leicester's three hospitals will check if the badge photo ID matches up. However the Leicester charity Mosaic fears the move will only cause confusion for disabled drivers.

Ruth Ward, who overseas the car parking facilities at the Leicester General, Leicester Royal Infirmary and the Glenfield Hospital said: "It has been noticed and commented on by the public and staff, that the car park bays for disabled drivers are often abused. In an attempt to free up the bays for genuine disabled people it has been decided to check the photo ID part of the badge."

But Barbara Howard, director of Mosaic, said it could cause unnecessary concern amongst genuine users and lead to late appointments. "What used to happen and what still happens is that people use the blue badges spaces outside accident and emergency that don't have blue badges, that has happened certainly but not by blue badge holders. You'll then have to be checking the appointment card to check whose appointment it is and cause late appointments. It will be very confusing. I don't think this is a good idea at all. There are better uses of their money then doing that."