DOZENS of cheats have admitted the error of their ways and handed in Blue Badges they were using fraudulently during a two-week amnesty.

A total of 36 Blue Badges were handed in during the fortnight amnesty run by East Sussex County Council.

It is part of a Government-funded Blue Badge fraud crackdown operation between the authority, Brighton and Hove City Council and Sussex Police.

Thirty-one offenders in Brighton and Hove also handed in the badges they were illegally using during the amnesty.

An East Sussex County Council spokesman said: “We appreciate the efforts of those people who took advantage of this opportunity, but we know that this is just the tip of the iceberg.

“We will continue to carry out county-wide checks and take robust action against anyone found to be fraudulently using a Blue Badge.”

It is estimated there could be up to 2,600 Blue Badge fraudsters in Brighton and Hove and almost 5,000 across East Sussex.