A mum who used her son’s blue badge so she could park for free and go shopping has been fined by magistrates after a clampdown on misuse.

Lubna Tahir, of Randolph Road, Langley, was legitimately issued a blue badge for her son to use it when she was travelling with him.

However, the 46-year-old was spotted parking in a disabled bay and displaying the badge on the dashboard before getting out of her car without her son.

She told officers who challenge her she had taken her son to school just minutes before parking in Buckingham Gardens Car Park and was about to go shopping on the High Street.

She was interviewed under caution and denied any wrongdoing so the case was prosecuted and dealt with at Reading Magistrates’ Court on Friday, October 25.

Mrs Tahir was fined £125, ordered to pay prosecution costs of £100 and a victim surcharge of £32.

The defendant was approached by officers from Slough Borough Council’s corporate fraud team and civil enforcement officers as part of a programme to combat the misuse of disability blue badges in the borough on July 10.

Motorists displaying blue badges while parking in otherwise prohibited areas were challenged. More than half were using their badges correctly.

In cases where they were being abused, the blue badge was seized and the motorist was asked to attend an interview under caution. Seven admitted the offence and were given a formal caution which will be held on official records for four years.

A total of 14 penalty charge notices were issued.

Cllr Pavitar K. Mann, Slough Council cabinet member for planning and regulation, said: “Blue badges are issued for use by some of the most vulnerable members of the community so families can go about their daily business with a little bit of extra help.

“The teams intend to conduct further blue badge audits in the future to ensure that the benefits of holding a disability blue badge are not being abused by people who don’t qualify.”