Southend man ordered to pay £1,400 for blue badge fraud

A Southend resident has been fined £1,480 for misusing his father’s Blue Badge, highlighting the council’s ongoing efforts to combat such fraud.

On October 31, 2024, Mark Thomasson, 37, of Tickfield Avenue, Southend, was convicted at Southend Magistrates’ Court for unlawfully using a disabled person’s Blue Badge and failing to produce it upon request. He was ordered to pay a £200 fine, £1,200 in costs, and an £80 victim surcharge.

The incident occurred on September 1, 2023, during a council-led operation targeting Blue Badge misuse in central Southend. Thomasson was found parked in a pay-and-display bay, displaying a Blue Badge. When asked to present the badge for inspection, he refused and drove away. Further investigation revealed the badge belonged to his father, and Thomasson was neither carrying nor collecting him at the time. His explanations were deemed inconsistent and not credible by the magistrates.

Councillor Martin Terry, responsible for community safety, stated: “This prosecution demonstrates Southend-on-Sea City Council’s determination to crack down on Blue Badge cheats. Such misuse undermines a system designed to assist those with disabilities and impacts our community’s resources.”