More than 12,000 fines for blue badge parking misuse has been issued by Hampshire County Council over the past five years.

The fines totalled more than £380,000, according to figures released through a Freedom of Information request.

The request showed a steady rise in the number of fines issued each of the past five years.

In 2020, the council issued 749 fines worth £21,175. This almost doubled in 2021, with 1,369 fines amounting to £45,115.

By 2023, the number had risen sharply to 3,060 fines, valued at £93,465. Last year saw the biggest increase, with 5,418 fines issued — worth £170,044.

Between 2020 and 2024, the council issued a total of 12,010 fines for misuse of disabled parking spaces, with a combined value of £380,522.

A spokesperson for Hampshire County Council said the rise in fines reflects a major expansion of the council’s parking enforcement responsibilities.

Between 2020 and 2023, the county council gradually took over responsibility for on-street parking enforcement across the whole county.

Previously, enforcement was carried out by district and borough councils across the county. However, by Autumn 2023, the county council covered all eleven districts, compared to just four in 2020.

The spokesperson said: “This broader coverage has naturally led to a higher number of infringements being identified and fined.”

To tackle Blue Badge misuse, the council said its enforcement teams carry out regular patrols across the county.

There are three main types of disabled parking bays in Hampshire:

Enforced bays: Across the county, disabled spaces are actively monitored by enforcement teams. If a driver parks in an enforced disabled bay without a valid Blue Badge, a Penalty Charge Notice is issued. In cases of suspected Blue Badge misuse, the badge is inspected and, if found to be being used fraudulently, it is retained and returned to the issuing authority with an incident report. Further action is then taken as required by the Blue Badge team.

Advisory (Courtesy) bays: These are typically found in residential areas and are not legally enforceable. Drivers are expected to act out of courtesy and avoid parking in these bays without a Blue Badge. The council says it continues to aim to educate the public on this issue.

Off-street bays managed by third parties: These are outside the jurisdiction of Hampshire County Council.