CARS have been towed away in a crackdown in Manchester on "despicable" cheats who use fake disabled parking badges.
The council, which launched the crackdown, believes about 170 people in the city centre use the badges which could have been forged and sold for about £40.
They enable the cheat to park for free - and often deprive a genuine disabled person with a real badge of a space.
Council parking officials slapped tickets on some office workers' cars parked in Byrom Street following weeks of surveillance involving people suspected of regularly using the fake badges to park there without charge.
The cars, which included an X-reg VW Polo and a Y-reg Vauxhall Corsa, were all later towed away and impounded by the council.
Office workers from nearby buildings watched as the wardens and council officers targeted the cars, which had been identified as part of an operation launched three months ago. The council can check a register to find out if a badge is real.
The operation was part of the council crackdown on disabled badge fraud. The council has employed a specialist traffic warden, Kevin Hamilton, to identify the fakers.
Andy Vaughan, head of parking at the council, said: "We always knew that it was a problem from reports we were getting from disabled people and the public, but the scale of this deceit surprised everyone.
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"This is about fraudulent badges which have been maybe knocked out in the back of pubs and sold on for £40. We have about 170 people who we believe are using these badges in the city centre.
"We have been compiling video footage of those responsible and the next step for them and anyone found using a false badge is to tow the car away, interview and prosecute them for fraud.
"The decision to use one of these badges will prove very expensive. They have to pay a £100 removal fee for the car and £30 for the parking ticket as well as any court fine. On top of that on conviction they will have a criminal record.
"My advice to anyone still using one of these fake badges is to stop immediately before we catch up with you."
Coun Neil Swanwick branded anyone who displayed a fake disabled parking badge as "despicable".
He said: "We already have 10 cases going to prosecution. I think such people are despicable because they are abusing a system which exists to enable disabled people to move around the city freely. It is selfish in the extreme."
What do you think of the disabled badge cheats? Have your say.
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Showing comments 1 to 25 and replies | View All
Heather Howarth, High St Mcr (19/10/2005 at 09:40)
Surely this should be handled by the proffesionalsEG the police. Fraud is a serious matter and shouldn't be dealt with by over zelous traffic wardens........... not educated for legal matters
SOME DISABLED DRIVERS WILL BE CAUGHT UP IN THIS I should imagine its hard enough being disabled without now being targeted by the wardens.
LEAVE THIS DELICATE MATTER TO THE POLICE AND LET THE TRAFFIC WARDENS CARRY ON UPSETTING OTHER MEMBERS OS SOCIETY
What training do traffic wardens have to deal with this serious matter =none
their just greedy for more tickets to help their daily targets
Alex Green, Manchester (19/10/2005 at 10:23)
Frank, Heaton Moor (19/10/2005 at 10:27)
Elmarie, Manchester (19/10/2005 at 10:58)
Dave, Didsbury (19/10/2005 at 11:10)
This action is great news and long overdue.
Ace Riley, manchester (19/10/2005 at 11:17)
Compo, Wythenshawe (19/10/2005 at 12:38)
OLLER, Audenshaw (19/10/2005 at 12:57)
Disabled Blue Badge User, Manchester (19/10/2005 at 13:03)
Nicki, Ahston Underlyne (19/10/2005 at 13:13)
Mark, Manchester (19/10/2005 at 13:18)
If they wanted the needy to have more parking they should stop selling every spare piece of land to be built on.
Anon, Manchester (19/10/2005 at 13:29)
The real disabled badges carry a picture of the person to whom the badge was issued and have a special hologram embedded in them.
I can only assume that Heather was one of those people who had a vehicle towed away - as far as I'm concerned, they should crush the cars and perhaps that would make these cretins think twice.
Sam Mack, MONSALL (19/10/2005 at 13:55)
Robin Hood, Nottingham (19/10/2005 at 16:04)
Robin Hood
Olivia, Manchester (19/10/2005 at 17:48)
Its difficult enough tryin to find a space in the centre of manc, nevermind having them stolen by frauds...well done Manc City Council
Ace Riley, manchester (19/10/2005 at 18:42)
Carolyn, Houston, Texas (19/10/2005 at 21:53)
Phil Burke, city centre (20/10/2005 at 06:00)
Well done to Councillor Neil Swannick and the council enforcements officers in tackling the disabled car badge cheats across the city centre, it is good to see the city council taking a strong and robust stance in prosecuting anyone displaying a blue disabled badge and trying to get away with not paying for parking and also depriving genuine disable people of the northwest with real badges of much needed car park spaces, which are hard to get in the city centre
Looking at the cars towed away from Byrom Street
thanks to the MEN pictures its shows that the drivers who cars were caught are not short of a bob or two to pay for parking.
Let's hope we can relay on the good old justice system to prosecute them accordingly
Blue Dave, Denton (20/10/2005 at 09:09)
Argonaut, Manchester (20/10/2005 at 09:17)
The likes of Lees and Swannick must sit up all night thinking of more ways in which to fleece car owners. These two wont be happy until the City is a ghost town, with all the businesses closed down. All this will do is put more money in the pockets of Peel Holdings and their Trafford Centre - where parking is free.
Ace Riley, manchester (20/10/2005 at 10:44)
Ace..
Andy, Wythenshawe (20/10/2005 at 12:35)
The council are enforcing regulations they are NOT a cash harversting operation, those that cheat the system and flout the law give their money through choice, they choose to break the law.
This IS a deterent, how many will risk having their car towed and a B#1000 fine.
The city centre will NEVER be a ghost town even if ALL cars were banned, your views are of the typical paranoid law breaking prima donna car ownner, really pathetic.
Heather Howarth, mcr - high st. (20/10/2005 at 15:30)
Alex Green you obviously are something to do with parking for the council quoting the various lingo of derim act and such
You explain that due to this act the police can not issue fines for parking and more so FRAUD in respect of using alse badges.you talking a load of RUBBISH
the police have more powers than the bog standard traffic warden .... Like i tried to explain in my first comment
LEAVE THE PROSECUTING TO THE PROFFESIONALS. I never said that using the passes was ok just that traffic wardens do not have the relevant skills to deal with these types of matters
the training for a traffic warden foes not cover the law to such a depth
the total problem is with the council if more parking was provided and at a cheaper rate it might stop these abuses of the system
I STILL STICK BY WHAT I INITIALLY SAID
THAT TRAFFIC WARDENS ARE NOT QUILIFIED TO DEAL WITH THIS MATTER IT IS A POLICE MATTER NOTHING TO DO WITH THE DECRIM ACT. NCP ARE ONLY IN THIS GAME FOR THE MONEY . MORE TICKETS AND MORE REMOVAL OF VEHICLES MEANS MORE MONEY.
Nicky, Ashton Under Lyne (20/10/2005 at 16:03)
Andy, Wythenshawe (20/10/2005 at 16:14)
Council staff have been trained to identify fraudulant copies.
They have videoed and identified offenders.
They have done their job.
They are prossecuting these individuals and they will be fined for breaking the law.
This IS NOT a money making scheme, the offenders are paying the cost for offences they have commited.
The police have no need to get involved unless the council find further criminal activities.