THE council is clamping down on drivers who illegally use disabled parking badges resulting in permits being seized and the offending parties being summonsed to court.

This year Herefordshire Council has seized 67 badges from drivers misusing them and 14 drivers have ended up in magistrates court, with more yet to appear.

The disabled blue badge scheme is a national scheme put in place to help those who have a disability to be able to park near or as close as possible to where they are going.

There are around 8,939 blue badge holders in the county which entitles drivers to park for up to three hours on on-street yellow lines, for an unlimited period in an on-street limited waiting place and for three hours free in any of the council's public car parks.

A council spokesman said: "Common excuses that are offered by drivers range from ‘I was collecting something on the badge holders behalf’ to ‘I was only parking for a short time’.

"Friends and family members of badge holders should remember that the badge holder must be dropped off or collected from the place where the vehicle is parked to make use of the badge.

"The victims of this crime are the very people that the scheme is put in place to help, as the parking they need may be taken up by someone else who is not entitled to it.”

Three people pleaded guilty at Hereford Magistrates Court on Friday to the unlawful use of a disabled person's badge in relation to the parking of a vehicle.

Dean Hulse, prosecuting on behalf of Herefordshire Council said that each of the three cases cost the council between £522 and £577 to bring before the court.

Christine Bemand, 62, of Leysters, Leominster, parked in a disabled space in Corn Square, Leominster, on April 18, when the holder wasn't in the vehicle.

She was given a conditional discharge for 12 months and was ordered to pay £220 costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

Jane Dawson, 58 of Townsend Close, Ludlow, parked in a disabled space in Central Area carpark in Leominster, on May 9, using her dead father's parking permit.

She was also given a conditional discharge and was ordered to pay £200 costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

Nicholas Small, 32, of Micheldean, Gloucestershire, parked in a disabled space in Offa Street, Hereford, when the permit holder wasn't in the vehicle.

He was also given a conditional discharge for 12 months and was ordered to pay £300 costs and a £20 victim surcharge.