A parking cheat who illegally used his mother's Blue Badge to get free parking in Hampton Wick has been fined more than £900 after a tip off.

Rampall Raj of Rosemary Avenue in Hounslow pleaded guilty at Lavender Hill Magistrate's Court earlier this week.

Officers from the South West London Fraud Partnership carried out a targeted exercise to catch drivers fraudulently using parking permits, and caught Raj after a tip off from a member of the public.

He was fined and ordered to pay court costs of £933.

Councillor Geoffrey Samuel, Richmond Council’s Deputy Leader, said: “We will not tolerate cheats, and will make every effort to ensure that they are prosecuted for their fraud.

“It doesn’t matter if you are not from this borough. Using a Blue Badge, that does not belong to you, denies a vulnerable person a parking space. Think before you fraudulently use a Blue Badge. We will find out. We will prosecute.”