Herefordshire Council is urging people to respect parking bays for blue badge users and is reviving its successful Baywatch campaign to get its message across.

Baywatch, a campaign to raise awareness of parking issues for disabled people, ran throughout February and March last year.  Its main objectives were to stop people parking illegally in disabled parking bays, reduce Blue Badge fraud, eliminate stereotypes of disabled people and reduce abuse received by Blue Badge users.  The campaign was such a big success that the council has decided to run it again during March this year.

For thousands of people living in Herefordshire, blue badges and disabled parking bays are vital facilities which improve the quality of their day-to-day lives.

Herefordshire Council’s diversity officer, Harriet Yellin, commented: ”An important part of the Baywatch message is to try to reduce the fraudulent use of badges. Carers, family members and friends of a Blue Badge holder may feel that a badge is associated with a vehicle, and that the vehicle is the badge holder; this is not the case. 

“All Blue Badges are issued purely for the use of the person named on the badge, and anyone who condones the misuse of the scheme is depriving legitimate badge holders of vital parking spaces.”

The Baywatch message will be spread across the county using bus advertising, Herefordshire Matters, leaflets and free car stickers!  Community Enforcement Officers will be particularly vigilant at this time, checking to see whether people using Blue Badges are the legitimate holders.

Anyone who would like to know more can phone 01432 260216 or visit the website at www.herefordshire.gov.uk/baywatch.