Blue badges, fakers and the results

29 May

Fake Britain is another BBC show we sit and watch, it’s surprising what you can learn from such programmes. This morning edition mentioned the blue badge scheme and the number of fake badges out there. In some parts of the country up to 40% of such badges in use today are fake. The top and bottom of it is the government is changing the format of the badges from the old cardboard type to a new plastic badge, complete we features like bank notes. It’s hoped that the new badges will eliminate the fakes … hmmm … New badges with features like bank notes? Can’t it stopping the fakers for long!

But it goes someway to explain the problems we are currently having getting our current badges replaced. We were shocked by the £10 price to start with. The application form is now an A4 booklet of around 15 pages, rather than to two sides of an A4 sheet. Proof of address and of DLA/PIP that is less than 12 months old is required. At one time you took your form, proofs and fee to the local Social Services offices and your badge is sent out to you. Now the county council deals with it at their main office in Warwick.

As per usual the people who genuinely need to badges are being seriously inconvenienced by the fakers with alter badges and or use them once they get their sticky mits on one. The programme claimed that the badges are changing hands for up to £5,000 a go. One guy interview this morning had been offered £2000 for his badge and was then threatened with violence if he didn’t keep quiet over it. I too have been threatened when I’ve challenged someone for using one illegally.

Another issue that is coming to light now is that genuine users are now being verbally abused and so on because of their badge use. A lot of people now see all blue badge users as being fakes. But it doesn’t stop there; certainly in Tesco I have been that their security will not police the disabled parking bays. Asda do take it seriously and have acted when I’ve pointed out illegal parking.

Here in Dorktown we have our own little war going on. The centre of town is a pedestrian only zone between 10am and 4pm, with only disabled or security vehicles allowed in there during those times. OK, fine … but at 4pm there is always a queue at the Queens Road entrance of town come 4pm. The numbers of disabled drivers at that time are few and far between. Added to this there is a one way system still in force but it’s never enforced. Drivers are driving in and out it any direction they like. It’s only a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt or killed at these times.

Today’s photo then is … 

A cyclist showing common sense and not riding through the market the other week.

And today’s funny …

A man rushed into a hospital and asked an nurse for a cure for hiccups. Grabbing a cup of water, the nurse quickly splashed it into the man’s face. “What did you that for?” screamed the man. “you don’t have the hiccups now, do you?” said the nurse. “No,” replied  the man. “My wife out in the car has them.”