Have you wrongly parked in a disabled bay? Almost 100,000 drivers were caught out last year

ALMOST 100,000 Brits were caught out for parking in a disabled bay despite not having a blue badge permit last year.

Councils raked in a whopping £4.2million from dishonest motorists using the priority spaces over the 12-month period, according to a recent investigation.

A series of freedom of information requests submitted by Confused.com found councils had issued 97,138 tickets for parking in disabled spaces in 2017.

Drivers can be given a fixed penalty notice anywhere from £40-£100 for parking in a disabled bay without displaying a blue badge.

And it seems motorists become less considerate of disabled drivers as it gets nearer to the holiday season.

Around 16 per cent of blue bay offences happened in November and December, as Brits battle to find a spot during the Christmas shopping rush.

Figures also revealed thousands of motorists were slapped with fines for parking in front of dropped kerbs.

As they are used for access by wheelchair users, pedestrians and for driveways, blocking a dropped kerb can attract a similar fine.

Councils brought in a further £1.7million in penalty notices for the offence last year.

Earlier this year, we revealed the shocking excuses drivers use for parking in disabled bays.

Motorists most commonly cited "being in a rush" as their reason for taking up the space.

Blue badge holders are also being targeted by thieves, with a significant rise in the number of permits stolen from cars.

Almost 3,000 permits were reported stolen in England last year - up from just 656 in 2013.