A shopper who illegally used a blue badge belonging to his dad has been ordered to pay £310.

Hadleigh Aybes, from Golders Green, was out shopping in Watford with his mother when his black Audi A4 Convertible was spotted by council fraud investigators.

The vehicle was parked on a single yellow line on Church Street and was displaying a blue badge on the dashboard.

But following checks, it was discovered that the badge did not belong to him or his passengers, but to his father.

A spokesman for Watford Borough Council, which brought the prosecution, said: "He was questioned about where his father was and initially Mr Aybes said he was in town but after further questioning he admitted that the blue badge holder was at home."

The blue badge was seized by a police officer and Watford Borough Council later wrote to Mr Aybes inviting him to an interview under caution.

Aybes later appeared at St Albans Magistrates' Court where he pleaded guilty to the offence and was fined £130 and ordered to pay £150 in prosecution costs and a £30 victim surcharge.

Following the hearing Mayor of Watford Peter Taylor said: “We will not tolerate the abuse of the Blue Badge scheme in Watford, which is in place to help people who need it. We will continue to work tirelessly with our partners to bring people who misuse the scheme to justice.”