Pensioner Terence Piper has become the latest victim of a spate of thefts of disabled parking badges.

Police have revealed that one in every five cars broken into in Brighton and Hove is being targeted by criminals stealing blue badges to order.

The permits, which allow motorists to park free almost anywhere in Europe, could be changing hands for between £100 and £1,000, according to police.

Mr Piper, 68, of Reigate Road, Brighton, woke last Tuesday to find his car windows smashed and his badge stolen, just yards from his home.

The retired printer was first targeted outside a hospital in Homerton, London, two months ago and says he was now too afraid to use disabled bays.

Mr Piper said: "I'd even consider leaving the car door open now just so they can take the badge without having to smash the car up.

"It's cost me nearly £400 to repair it, so quite often I'm too afraid to park in disabled bays, I'd rather park elsewhere and take the badge out."

Sussex Police teamed up with Brighton and Hove City Council at the start of the year to launch Operation Bluebird - joint patrols by police and parking attendants to identify and prosecute non-disabled drivers using the badges.

But police yesterday admitted no arrests had been made and badges were still being stolen to order.

All blue badges are marked with serial numbers rather than vehicle registration numbers, meaning fraudulent badges are hard to find.

Sussex Police spokeswoman Sue Heard said: "There was a real spate of badges being taken, particularly from doctors' surgeries and supermarket car parks. This operation seems to have nipped that in the bud but it is still occurring.

"We suspect they are being sold on the black market and we think they are being exchanged for quite large sums of money.

"They are obviously being stolen to sell on and with the parking situation both here and in London, people are prepared to pay these kind of sums."

After repairing his car last week, Mr Piper placed a photocopy of his original badge on his windscreen while he waited for a replacement to be sent.

Within 24 hours he had received a parking ticket.

A spokeswoman for the city council said the authority was investigating new methods of deterring the fraudsters.

She said: "We are trying to improve the blue badge service.

Blue badge fraud is a national problem but we have improved our computer system to try to catch the fraudsters."