A “selfish” driver who used a cancelled Blue Badge she found in a car park has been told to pay more than £1,000.

Amelia Burgess, 39, was found using it while parking on double yellow lines in Station Road, Maidstone, earlier this year.

The badge had been reported lost in March 2022.

When Burgess, of Postley Road in the same town, was asked by an enforcement officer to produce it for inspection, she got into her vehicle and drove away.

Yesterday (December 20), she appeared before Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court where she pleaded guilty to fraudulently using the blue badge.

The court heard the offences happened on March 6 this year.

Kent County Council (KCC) – who issues the permits – was then informed and an investigation began.

The 39-year-old was invited to an interview on two separate occasions to explain the misuse but did not respond or attend.

In court, Burgess said she had found the badge in a car park and kept it as she thought she would use it when needed.

She has been convicted of offences under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and Fraud Act 2006 and must pay a fine of £256.

On top of that, Burgess has been ordered to pay a £102 victim surcharge, and investigation and prosecution costs of £1,014.32.

Magistrates chairman Alan Wright said: “She will now have a fraud offence on her record and that should she come to the attention of the courts again, this will be taken into consideration.”

KCC cabinet member for adult social care and public health, Cllr Dan Watkins, said Burgess's actions were “selfish and reprehensible”.

He added: “People who fraudulently use Blue Badges are selfish and reprehensible.

“They are cheating genuinely disabled people out of parking bays designed specifically for their use to aid their day-to-day mobility and avoid them suffering any additional distress and pain.

“As well as the fines issued, all investigation and prosecution costs must be covered by the defendant, making this a very costly crime for them and not the Kent taxpayer.

“We will continue to work with our district, borough and city councils to crack down on this thoughtless crime and prosecute anyone caught in the act to the fullest extent of the law.”