A SOUTHAMPTON man has been fined for using his dead grandmother’s blue badge to avoid paying parking charges.

Inder Sandhu pleaded guilty to nine charges of unlawfully using a disabled person’s badge in relation to use of a vehicle and was fined £800.

The 33-year-old, from Archers Road, had used his grandmother’s badge nine times to park to avoid paying the £8 daily fee to park near Southampton Central station.

Although he received five penalty charge notices for using the badge, he continued to use it.

Three letters were also sent to Sandhu requesting the return of the badge, but he ignored them.

After Southampton City Council prosecuted him, he pleaded guilty at Southampton Magistrates’ Court.

He was also ordered to pay £500 in costs and an £80 victim surcharge on top of the fine.