A MUM is facing jail after finding a disabled person’s blue badge and using it to park for free.

Emma Coomber used the ticket repeatedly to park in a disabled bay opposite Southampton's Asda store while she went to work.

But the 28-year-old wasn't counting on eagle eyed parking wardens who caught her in the act knowing she used to park in a nearby multi-storey before the badge suddenly appeared on her dash board.

Southampton Magistrates Court heard how Coomber fraudulently used the permit, which had been lost and subsequently cancelled by its proper owner, on 11 occasions - stacking up hundreds of pounds of parking fines.

Before that she would normally park in the Asda car park for work at a cost of £5 a day, the court was told.

But a warden noticed Coomber’s Renault Scenic parked in a disabled bay in Portland Terrace opposite Asda on September 8 last year and made checks, having never seen it with a disabled badge before.

The court heard how the disabled parking permit had been issued by Bournemouth Council and its owner had reported losing it in Southampton, cancelling it on August 26.

Other parking officers were alerted to the badge and it was spotted in the same place and given another parking fine on September 21, the court heard.

It was then used on double yellow lines in Ogle Road on September 24, a disabled bay in the Marlands multi-storey on October 1 and in Portland Terrace on September 28, 29 and October 6, 12, 13, 14 and 15.

In total Coomber got seven parking fines totalling £735, which she has not paid.

Magistrates heard how a city council parking officer finally seized the badge after stopping Coomber, of Bullar Road, Southampton, as she prepared to drive off on October 15.

Confronted, she told them it was her grandfather’s who she picked up every day and when asked where he was said “just down the road”.

Asked again, the now unemployed mother-of-one was cautioned and said it belonged to her neighbour’s dad.

In interview she told investigators she had found the badge in a car park near her home and admitted she should have given it back and that she knew she shouldn't have used it.

Coomber admitted four counts of fraud by false representation and two counts of unlawful use of a disabled badge and asked for five similar fraud matters to be taken into consideration.

Will Day, mitigating, said Coomber had not realised the seriousness of her actions, adding: “She knows she got it wrong and it was a stupid decision to carry on with it.”

He said life had not been easy for Coomber recently and she had been under pressure with money, had lost her job and was receiving housing benefits and job seekers allowance.

She will be sentenced on March 15 but was warned prison is an option.