I’M writing concerning the rules governing disabled parking badges and the reasons we see so many people displaying them walk bodily away.

The rules for the use of these badges clearly state that a carer can use a badge to shop for the person they are caring for even if they are NOT with them.

I am one of those disabled people who can walk a limited distance and as most bays are not that far from shops (such as supermarkets) it’s not so bad.

A lot of disabled people unlike myself are housebound and can’t or won’t go out so they use a carers service, and more often than not this involves a named carer able to use the said badge as long as they can prove, if challenged, that they are shopping for the person whose name is on the badge.

CP CHAPMAN, Lordshill, Southampton.

DVLA

FOLLOWING this letter from CP Chapman of Lordshill, Southampton, regarding the use of disabled parking badges, the Daily Echo has been asked to point out that rules set out at direct.gov.uk state that that the badge holder MUST be present when the vehicle is parked in a disabled parking space.