A surge in the number of able-bodied residents fraudulently applying for blue badges them has led Hounslow Council to tighten security.
Anyone applying for a badge must now provide a utility bill or council tax bill bearing their name, with no other form of ID accepted.
But the new rules are hitting genuine applicants hard because in many homes only the husband's name appears on household bills.
John Pitt, 67, a former police officer, of Eton Avenue, Heston, is furious at what he describes as 'bureaucracy gone mad'.
His wife Margaret recently developed polymyositis, an inflammation of the muscles which leaves her breathless, and was advised to apply for a blue badge.
The 71-year-old former businesswoman said: "I've got my own car and bank account in my name but it seems that in the eyes of the council I'm a non-person."
A council spokesman said the Department for Transport had recently introduced new guidelines to prevent false claims for badges.
