A pensioner who has waited three months for a new disabled blue badge has said she “thinks twice” before going to the shops.

Janice Butler applied for a new disabled badge after receiving an email that her old one was up for renewal.

The 77-year-old filled in all the forms and sent it off to Southampton City Council, hoping the process would not take very long.

After weeks of not hearing anything, she was told that they needed more information, prompting the pensioner to ask her daughter, Angela, to help out in the renewal process.

Following yet more radio silence from the local authority, last month she was told that the application would go before a panel.

But due to a backlog, she wasn't told when she would get a response.

Daily Echo: Janice and Dave ButlerJanice and Dave Butler (Image: Newsquest, Jose Ramos)

However, two weeks ago she found out her badge has now expired, and is yet to hear back from the city council.

Janice, who has mobility issues, and her husband, Dave, 80, fear that they will be fined for using the outdated badge.

Dave said: “We were out in Eastleigh, and we realised that the badge had expired. We didn’t know what to do so we put a note next to it saying that we had applied to renew it and we’re waiting for a response.

“We would call people at the council but there is no phone number to call them. And when we email them they take around 10 days to reply.”

The grandmother of five has had heart issues in the past and often has mobility issues.

She said: “There are some days I am quite good but I have others that I struggle to get about really. I think twice before going somewhere because we always wonder if we can park there with our blue badge.

"Dave and I also have hospital appointments to get to and if Dave can’t drive then we just have to get a taxi.”

Above all else, they say the issue at heart is the lack of communication and uncertainty around it all.

She said: “If only we had a number we could call to ask how they were getting on, at least we would know how much more to wait. At this point, we don’t know anything.”

A Southampton City Council spokesperson said: "We are currently assessing a high number of applications for blue badge parking permits and are processing these as quickly as possible.

"We understand and appreciate the concerns raised and apologise for any distress, however we cannot comment on individual applications.”