A DISABLED pensioner claims a legal loophole could be allowing people to abuse the blue badge system in Bolton’s car parks.

John Greenwood, aged 66, suffers from back problems, including stenosis of the spine and a herniated disk, while his 53-year-old wife suffers from multiple sclerosis.

He said the couple parked in Central Street Car Park and spotted a driver using a blue badge — which allows people with severe mobility problems to park in dedicated bays and on double yellow lines — whom he claims was not disabled.

And he stressed the incident was not an isolated one.

Mr Greenwood also claimed the issue is being made worse because a Traffic Regulation Order has been lifted by the council following the transfer of all 18 of its surface car parks to private operator NCP in 2009.

He said: “A Lexus pulled up and the woman driving put blue badges on the dashboard.

She got out and looked in her 40s and was obviously able bodied.”

Mr Greenwood, of Somerton Road, Breightmet, sent the photographs to Wigan Council, the authority that issued badge, which he claims told him the badges had been issued to a 92- year-old woman.

Wigan Council told The Bolton News it had sent a letter to the badge holder warning that misuse was a criminal offence.

When Bolton’s Traffic Regulation Order was in force the council’s parking attendants had the legal power to demand to inspect blue badges, with the penalty for refusal being a fine of up to £1,000 — a power they still retain for on-street parking.

But although NCP staff at the transferred car parks can issue fines, they have no legal power to demand to inspect a badge.

Mr Greenwood said: “The council have removed the power to enforce against these selfish individuals.

“Disabled people are being made to pay the price of not having the use of a disabled bay.”

Bolton Council declined to comment and said the car parks were NCP’s responsibility.

An NCP spokeswoman said: “If NCP is aware someone is fraudulently using a blue badge then we would exercise our right to ask the customer to show us the badge.

“If we believe it to be an incorrect usage we would issue a parking charge notice.”