The County Council linked up with NSL (which provides parking enforcement in Lewes), Sussex Police, Lewes District Council, East Sussex Fire and Rescue and Marston Group (certificated enforcement agency) to work together on the day which saw:
- 119 blue badges inspected, and of those two will be receiving warning letters about correct use of the badge, and a further 20 are being investigated by the Blue Badge team
- three badges seized for being misused
- Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) provided by Marston Group used to make four stops on outstanding warrants, and as a result five Parking Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) were paid on the spot, plus one vehicle was removed which had over £4,000 in unpaid PCNs
- one drugs warrant executed by Sussex Police resulting in three arrests, one vehicle stopped because the driver was using a mobile telephone whilst driving, and five youths stopped who were not at school when they should have been (letters will be sent to the parents)
- 22 outstanding court fines collected by Marston Group
- five untaxed vehicles clamped by the DVLA.
The action day helped to identify and improve access for emergency service vehicles and speed up response times, making it safer for the public.
Supported by Sussex Police, four teams of Civil Enforcement Officers conducted patrols throughout the town with representatives from East Sussex County Council, targeting people using blue badges fraudulently. Marston Group provided ANPR vehicles to identify unlicensed vehicles, and other vehicles of interest to the courts and police.
Councillor Matthew Lock, Lead Member for Transport and Environment at East Sussex County Council said, "Blue badge misuse is a growing problem. The blue badge scheme is designed to help disabled people access shops, public buildings and other places by allowing them to park close to their destination as either a driver or passenger. Fraudulent use of the badges takes up the parking spaces that are desperately needed by those people who are genuinely disabled.
"Our Parking Charter sets out our responsibilities for enforcement and motorists' responsibilities when parking in a controlled area. It is about fairness. Those who park irresponsibly can expect to be caught and issued with a penalty charge notice. Genuine badge holders have been telling us that they are happy to see that we are tackling misuse and taking their concerns seriously. "
Tim Cowen from NSL said, "This day was a joined-up exercise involving multiple organisations, not only to take action against blue badge misuse but encompass all areas of enforcement.
"We have conducted similar operations elsewhere, which were very successful and supported by members of the public and also the blue badge community. Blue badge fraud is one of the most serious parking infringements we come across, so hopefully we have sent out a strong message today that such misuse will not be tolerated."
Sgt Martin Theelke, Neighbourhood Policing Team for Lewes town centre said, "Today was all about multi-agency work, improving the environment of where people live and work. By working with our partners in local community a clear message is sent out that we will not tolerate those individuals who do not respect our town."
Alan Clark, Marston Group Director said, "Working with other enforcement services demonstrates to the law-abiding citizens that evasion, abuse and misuse will not be tolerated, and we welcomed the opportunity to support the local community."
If you wish you report misuse of a blue badge or have any questions about the action day please contact the Blue Car Badge helpline – email: bluecarbadge@eastsussex.gov.uk or phone: 01323 464244.
Further information
There are approximately 30,000 blue badges in the county. The badges cost the applicant £2. The cost of producing a blue badge is around £24 and fraudulent badges have been known to sell for up to £2,000.
Three action days were recently conducted in Hastings and Eastbourne which were very successful and well received by the public on the day.
Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs) have the power to inspect blue badges. The support of the Police is essential to ensure that the action days are successful.
Marston Group are able to provide ANPR on our action days. From previous experience they have found that people stopped for outstanding parking tickets often lead to prosecution for other offences, not solely parking contraventions.
Reference:
2688
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East Sussex County Council