Hayes woman ordered to pay £2,514 for using mum's Blue Badge outside primary school
A 41-year-old woman was caught parked on a single yellow line near Dr Triplett's Primary School at pick-up time. Her mother, the badge holder, was at home.
A woman from Hayes has been ordered to pay £2,514 after she used her mother's Blue Badge to park on a single yellow line outside a primary school during the afternoon school run.
The 41-year-old admitted wrongful use of a Blue Badge at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on Tuesday 27 October, Hillingdon Council said.
Caught during a joint operation
The council said it had received reports of cars displaying Blue Badges parking on single yellow lines near Dr Triplett's CofE Primary School, in Hemmen Lane, Hayes, at drop-off and pick-up times.
In response, the council's counter fraud team, its parking enforcement officers and the police carried out a joint operation outside the school on 19 March.
At about 3.15pm, officers saw an Audi A5 parked on a single yellow line with a Blue Badge displayed on the dashboard. According to the council, the driver told officers the badge belonged to her mother, who was at home at the time.
Blue Badges may only be used when the badge holder is travelling in the vehicle, or when the car is being used to pick up or drop off the holder. Officers seized the badge on the spot.
What she must pay
After she admitted the offence, magistrates fined the woman £207. She was also ordered to pay £2,224 towards the council's prosecution costs and a victim surcharge of £83, bringing the total to £2,514.
The council has not named her.
Hillingdon Council said it "will continue to take the toughest action the law allows" against people who misuse Blue Badges.
Why it matters
The Blue Badge scheme lets disabled people and people with serious mobility problems park closer to where they need to go, including on single and double yellow lines in many circumstances. Councils say misuse takes spaces away from people who rely on them and can put pedestrians at risk, especially outside schools at busy times.
Dr Triplett's is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school for children aged three to 11, in the Wood End area of Hayes. Parking around schools at drop-off and pick-up is a long-running concern for residents and schools across the borough.
Residents who suspect a Blue Badge is being misused in Hillingdon can report it to the council's counter fraud team through the Hillingdon Council website.