A Feltham woman has become the first blue badge fraudster to be prosecuted by the council.

Donna Huddy, 26 from Cassiobury Avenue was fined £355 at Brentford Magistrate's Court on August 29 after being caught trying to get free parking by pretending she was disabled.

In January Feltham police found a vehicle displaying a blue badge parked on a yellow line. The woman in the car said the driver was at the bank and a supermarket but the police and the fraud team discovered the Blue Badge had actually been issued to a company that transports disabled people.

Cllr Barbara Reid, lead member for environment at the council, said: "People who missuse blue badges are not only breaking the law, they are selfishly making life more difficult for people who genuinely need parking exemptions.

"This woman admitted her crime, but that doesn't hide the fact she knew what she was doing was illegal. We will continue to crackdown on this fraud to protect the rights of our disabled residents."

The council's fraud team and local police have been involved in a joint exercise to crack down on the illegal use of blue badges. These permits, issued to disabled drivers or passengers, not only allow free parking and parking in restricted areas, but also exempt holders from the congestion charge in central London.