IT WAS disabled drivers one, Blackpool Council nil yesterday (Wednesday), as the council caved in to public pressure and scrapped fines for 'blue badge' holders.

"We have decided that if a member of the public comes into a parking shop with with a parking tickets and can prove that their blue badge is valid and in date that the charge will be rescinded, with immediate effect," said a Town Hall spokeswoman.

The u-turn came after an embarrassed council refunded a £60 fine slapped on 91-year-old blind Bispham woman Alice Barnes for displaying her disabled parking permit the wrong side up.

Mrs Barnes paid up, but not without complaining to her ward councillor, Don Clapham, and voicing her disgust on radio, television and in the press.

Speaking on local radio she said: "I am absolutely disgusted with Blackpool and am telling everybody I know how unfair it is.

"And everybody I have spoken to is so disgusted about it."

Cllr Clapham said he was delighted Mrs Barnes' fine had been refunded, and welcomed the council's change of heart as 'excellent news'.

"All credit to Alice. She has continued the fight. It wasn't the money, it was the principle and she didn't want anybody else to be hit with a similar problem," he said.

"I just think it's absolutely outrageous that the parking attendants have continued, as proved by this case, to actually put tickets on people with legitimate disabled stickers, whether those are upside down or whatever," he added.

Such a policy, combined with ongoing roadworks, had whipped away Blackpool's 'welcome mat', he said.

The change of heart was also good news for 53-year-old Blackpool driver John Lewis, defying the council over a similar blue badge blunder made in July.

The ex-electrical engineer, who has osteoarthritis in both knees, had also displayed his badge with the expiry date face down instead of face up. He couldn't understand why he should have to pay £60 for 'such a simple error', and was 'very pleased' that his argument that he could present his badge at any time had finally been taken up by the council - even though they had previously told him they did not accept his 'challenge' and that the fine stood.

Mr Lewis also hopes the council will take up his other crime-busting suggestion - that all fined blue badge holders show their badges to the council within seven days whether or not they are contesting a fine - so that the council can root out holders of illegal fake, stolen or out-of-date badges.

"You could just pay your £30 and shut up, and still keep your badge because you've not shown it to anyone," he said.

"I'm very pleased, but at the end of the day we are still not getting to the bottom of fraudulent use of blue badges."