A FRUSTRATED driver claims he was slapped with a parking fine at Stratford Hospital – despite not entering the car park.
Clive Hall regularly takes his disabled wife for appointments in the older part of the hospital and parks nearby.
After a recent appointment the pair from Bidford went for a drive to look at the new £22million part of the site which opened last year.
But 59-year-old retired Clive was left shocked after a fine for £85 landed on his doorstep some days later, saying he had overstayed in the multi-storey hospital car park – which he says he did not even enter.
Clive told the Observer: “My wife wanted to drive around the new part of the hospital grounds, this took some time as I had to go back and forth so she could see everything. The important point is we didn’t enter the car park and we didn’t park anywhere.
“Driving around the grounds cannot be interpreted as parking.
“I appealed and an investigation by Parking on Private Land Appeals found in my favour.”
Clive no longer has to pay the penalty after parking operator South Warwickshire Clinical Services – which runs the car park – failed to supply any evidence.
But he now says he is worried unsuspecting patients will be wrongly charged in future.
He added: “I am not in favour of hospitals charging for parking. I believe it is extortion at best and unconscionable conduct at worst.
“My concern is that the parking company is charging people from the moment they enter the hospital grounds and not from when they enter the car park.”
South Warwickshire Foundation Trust Clinical Services says it is looking into the incident.
A spokesman said: “Clinical Services manage the car parking facilities on behalf of South Warwickshire Foundation Trust. In light of the issues raised within the penalty charge notice we will be reviewing the concerns highlighted in conjunction with Local Parking Security in order to address these areas of concern.”
