More than 200 fraudulent Blue Badges have been seized from the streets of Haringey as new technology allows enforcement officers to instantly check if a permit has been stolen.

Following a new Blue Badge enforcement policy introduced by Haringey Council last year, the authority invested £1 million in the new system.

It allows officers to instantly check whether a Blue Badge has been stolen, reported lost or the permit holder is deceased.

The council said that vehicles misusing the badge are often taken away, with the owner having to pay a fine and forfeiting the Blue Badge.

More than 1,000 fines have been handed out by the council since the implementation of the new system.

The new technology makes it easier for the council to tackle fraudulent Blue Badge use as it no longer has to rely upon co-operation with police.

Cllr Seema Chandwani, Haringey cabinet member for tackling inequality and resident services, said: “As we celebrate our first milestone with over 1,000 fines issued to those misusing a Blue Badge and over 200 Blue Badges seized in Haringey, we are sending a clear message that we are not going to tolerate Blue Badge misuse in our borough.
 
“A huge thank you to disabled residents who co-designed our Blue Badge Enforcement Policy and helped us shape our enforcement operations.”