Cornwall Council has launched a new campaign to help Blue Badge holders feel confident using their Badge – and avoid parking tickets.

In a recent survey carried out by the Council, almost one in five Blue Badge holders said they had received a parking ticket after parking with their badge over the last three years.

People reported receiving fines for a variety of reasons including forgetting to set their clocks, badges falling off the dash, overstaying time limits and parking in loading bays or restricted zones.

Throughout the campaign, the Council will be sharing tips on where you can and can’t park with a Blue Badge, and exploring some of the common reasons people ended up with tickets.

The Council is hosting online events so Blue Badge holders, as well as friends, family members and carers, can find out more about the Blue Badge scheme and ask questions about using their Blue Badge.

To date, 75 people have attended the webinars, with more events to be held in the future.

The Council is also reminding people not to use Badges belonging to friends or family members, unless the badge holder is in the vehicle at the time.

This follows a national rise in Blue Badge misuse, including the use of fake badges, stolen badges and, in some case, people using badges belonging to loved ones that have passed away.

Councillor Thalia Marrington, cabinet member for Community Safety and Public Protection, said: “More than 1,000 people responded to our Blue Badge survey and I’d like to thank everyone who shared their thoughts and experiences.

“Blue Badges are a real lifeline for thousands of people across Cornwall and we want to make sure all Blue Badge holders feel confident using their badge.

“We’ve had some really positive feedback from our online events and we hope that this campaign will be useful to Blue Badge holders.”