Traders are joining growing calls for harsher penalties for people abusing the disabled parking badge system.

Shopkeepers in Brighton and Hove say the number of non-disabled people displaying blue badges belonging to disabled friends or relatives is spiralling out of control.

George Burgess, 48, of Longhill Road, Brighton, runs a Kemp Town shop.

He said: "They are getting away with murder. The system needs shaking up because it's really not fair on disabled people or on businesses."

Mr Burgess said he has reported dozens of non-disabled people using badges to parking attendants and the Blue Badge office over the past five years.

He said that to his knowledge no one has ever been prosecuted as a result.

Mr Burgess claimed traffic wardens have told him around 50 per cent of blue badges are not being used properly.

Brighton and Hove City Council currently issues 12,000 badges.

He wants the council to impose £5,000 fines and confiscation on anyone caught wrongly displaying a badge.

He said people are driving down trade in Kemp Town by taking up disabled customers' spaces.

Tom Mannouch, secretary of St James's Street Traders association, said the situation had got worse since parking restrictions were introduced to the area.

He said: "It's a very big problem and the police and authorities seem to be turning a blind eye.

"These people are taking away a genuine disabled person's parking with no conscience whatsoever and it's immoral."

Last month The Argus reported how disabled driver Merris McDonald had confronted a man using a disabled badge only to find it belonged to a woman. The 56-year-old journalist is also calling for something to be done to stop badges being abused.

Disabled badge holders who cannot drive themselves are able to use their badges if someone else drives.

Badges have a photograph of the owner on the reverse.

Disabled badge holders can park with a badge and a time voucher displayed for up to three hours on a single or double yellow line so long as there are no loading restrictions.

They can also park without time limit in a pay and display bay, voucher bay or a designated disabled bay.

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: "We are reviewing the entire scheme and we will take note of any information we are given "The review will be an appropriate time for the traders to make their points.

"We will also be ensuring that NCP staff are extra vigilant."