Dozens of heartless drivers have been caught breaking blue badge rules in Birmingham this year, exclusive data has shown. It comes amid fears blue badge fraud is becoming more common around the UK, with more motorists prepared to park in disabled bays when they have no right to. Some brazen drivers are even using blue badges belonging to dead people, our investigation found. READ MORE: Rachel Reeves confirms £150 bonus for everyone on Universal Credit Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp A total of 64
offences have been recorded by Birmingham City Council so far in 2026. Most cases involve a badge being displayed without its owner being present. This is often people who have taken or borrowed badges from friends or relatives and used them to get around parking rules. This can include parking on double yellows or in disabled parking bays, getting closer to entrances of supermarkets and other shops. But most seriously it denies spaces to disabled people who genuinely need them. Get all the latest motoring
news sent to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter here Freedom of information data from the city council showed 41 offences involved the blue badge holder not being present. There are known to be cases when blue badge holders allow friends or relatives to use their badges. There were another 11 cases where the blue badge clock had been altered to allow them to park for longer. Most shockingly, there were eight cases where the badge of a dead person had been used.
This could involve a family member continuing to use it, or it could have been sold online. Our investigation comes after figures from the British Parking Association (BPA) showed cases of blue badge misuse have skyrocketed by over 1,000% since 2016.
Birmingham, blue badge, blue badge misuse, disabled parking, Birmingham City Council, double yellows, parking offences, Freedom of information, British Parking Association
So basically people just slap the badge on and nobody checks? wild.
I don’t get how they even enforce this if the person isn’t there. Like can’t the council just scan the badge or something? Also using one for longer by changing the clock sounds like something my cousin would do lol.
“Dead people” badges?? That’s not even parking anymore, that’s straight up scamming. I bet half of it is just people borrowing from family and the council calling it fraud. Either way it’s messed up because disabled folks really need those spots.
Wait so 64 offences in 2026 in Birmingham and they’re saying it’s skyrocketed 1,000% since 2016? That seems like a made up number to me unless they mean complaints. I’ve seen people park in the disabled bay and walk in fine, so I’m not surprised, but the “altered clock” thing… like the badge just has a clock on it??