Three million Blue Badge holders in the UK are at risk of being "filmed and threatened" by members of the public who suspect they are faking their disability, as anti-Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) sentiment rises across the country.
The Guardian spoke to several Blue Badge holders who reported experiencing harassment, being filmed, and receiving threats from strangers. One holder from Scotland described an incident where a woman confronted her carer, saying, "You don't look very disabled to me, you shouldn't be parked there." Despite explaining that the badge belonged to the disabled person, the woman became aggressive and pushed her trolley into the carer. The holder added, "We've never been back since. I'm worried my carers will get assaulted again just because they're helping me park somewhere I need."
Another holder said they are challenged on a "weekly basis." A third recounted an incident in February when an elderly man filmed them on his phone and said, "You're clearly not disabled, I'm putting you on social media." A fourth, who has a Blue Badge for her daughter, stated, "Facing harassment and scepticism about our daughter's blue badge entitlement makes it harder for us to go out and means we're more isolated."
The number of Blue Badge holders has reached a record one in 20 of the population, prompting councils to urge a crackdown on misuse. The AA has called for stronger detection of offences involving fake or stolen badges. AA president Edmund King said, "The blue badge scheme is a mobility lifeline for millions of legitimate users and their families. Our concern is not the absolute number of badges issued but the estimates that up to one in five badges may be used by someone other than the holder or authorised user. Fraud is an issue which can include family misuse, use after death, counterfeit badges, and theft and resale of badges. We would welcome a crackdown on illegitimate use of badges to safeguard the deserving users."
