More than 10,000 people are making use of the blue badge disabled parking scheme in North Somerset, new figures show.

However, a leading fraud investigator has warned no one knows how many of these badges are held fraudulently, calling it a "sad reflection" on the Government.

It comes as the number using the scheme across England increased by 10% year-on-year, reaching a new record high.

Blue badges, which must be renewed every three years, help people with disabilities or health conditions access shops and services by enabling them to park closer to their destination.

New figures from the Department for Transport show there were around 4,900 blue badges issued to motorists in North Somerset in the 12 months to March.

It meant the total number of people with a badge reached approximately 12,000, close to the 11,530 last year, and a 6% increase over the last 10 years.

Figures for 2024 were rounded to the nearest thousand.

In 2019, the eligibility criteria for blue badges was extended to include people with non-visible disabilities such as Parkinson’s, dementia and epilepsy, prompting a surge in the number of applications.

Across England there were 2.8 million valid blue badges at the end of March – up from 2.6 million a year earlier, and the highest number on record dating back to 1996-97.

However, concerns have been raised about the Government's ability to keep track of blue badge fraud.

Paul Slowey, chief executive of the National Agency for Blue Badge Fraud Investigations, said he estimates some 560,000 badges (20%) may have been issued fraudulently, but criticised the Government for failing to release prosecution data, which has not been made public since 2021.

"Clearly the more badges in circulation the higher the likelihood of fraud," he said.

He added: "The NHS is in crisis and we have an ageing population. The majority of disabled people are over 70 and as the population ages it's expected that there will be more disabled people and more blue badges on issue.

"The important thing is to make sure the people to whom the badges are issued are using them correctly and whenever someone buys and uses a stolen badge they are taken to court and prosecuted."

A spokesperson for the British Parking Association said the rising number of blue badge holders makes it "increasingly important" the "integrity of the scheme is protected".

They added: "This means making sure disabled parking bays are used by blue badge holders only and the blue badge itself is not used fraudulently."

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, warned able-bodied drivers should resist the temptation to occupy a disabled bay for a few minutes.

He added: "We should remind ourselves that one day we could be the ones reliant on the easier access that blue badges provide."

The percentage of the population in England holding a blue badge increased from 4.6% to 4.9% last year.

Meanwhile, 5% of the population in North Somerset had a blue badge.

A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said it stopped publishing blue badge fraud figures as the data "was not widely used".

They added: "Exploitation of the blue badge scheme is completely unacceptable – it is a vital resource helping many people travel with confidence.

"We are supporting the police to tackle this issue by working closely with local authorities and have strengthened their powers to help them tackle fraud and misuse."