A REDDITCH police officer was denied a blue badge by Worcestershire County Council and claims he was told to ‘supply more evidence’ of his disability.

Ben Perry lost his leg in March 2018 after being hit by a car on the M42 whilst helping an aquaplaned vehicle on his way home from work.

The 27-year-old has gained a huge Twitter following since the incident and told followers on August 29 that he tried to renew his blue badge but was told he did not qualify for one.

Mr Perry's doctor wrote a letter to the council stating he was "surprised to be asked for a statement of fact regarding Ben’s disability."

The doctor added: “It is of course unlikely that this situation will change unless medical science allows us to re-grow a new leg for him.”

The tweet soon went viral, being retweeted nearly 125,000 times.

On September 1, Ben updated followers that the council had reissued his blue badge: “Thankfully, it appears that common sense has prevailed. Whether social media has influenced the decision, I wouldn’t like to speculate.”

Ben added: “The reason for a blue badge is to enable a space to be more accessible. I need to open my door fully in order to swing my leg in and out. There is of course days where I am able to be mobile.

READ MORE

“Some days I’m unable to walk at all or even wear my prosthesis which means that I am only able to get around with the use of a wheelchair. On these days, a blue badge is critical to maintaining my independence.”

Before Mr Perry lost his leg, he was a special constable at Bromsgrove Police Station and made his return to policing earlier this year at Redditch station as a traffic signal technician and special constable.