Cancer patient issued with two £100 parking fines

A cancer patient received two parking fines at Cheltenham Hospital despite being given free parking permits.

Caroline from Nailsworth, who has breast cancer, was given the permits from the Focus Charity (NHS Gloucestershire) to support her during the treatment.

Cheltenham General Hospital parking is located next to the Cheltenham Lido carpark, which is run by Parking Eye which use the RingGo app.

A Parking Eye spokesperson said: "The car park at Cheltenham Lido is monitored by ANPR camera systems and has over 20 prominent signs that give motorists clear guidance on how to use the car park responsibly."

NHS Gloucestershire's parking exemptions apply if parents are staying overnight with children in the children's wards, outpatients are having dialysis, oncology patients are having radiotherapy, during chemotherapy or regular blood transfusions or if someone has a trust carer's passport.

Caroline was given the free permits by the hospital and had her parents and a friend, Dipti Tait, drop her off.

They were both shocked when they received the £100 parking fine in the post.

Caroline said when she pulled up she "thought this must be right as it looked like a hospital car park with the signs".

She said: "We were more interested in going to my first chemo and treatment."

An NHS Gloucestershire spokesperson said "all patients who receive the free permit are also given a map with the oncology/cancer parking bays highlighted".

Caroline believes she was not given the map when she first got the permit.

Ms Tait said that "even if she was given a tiny map, that is not good enough either, the signage needs to be outside and obvious".

She added: "It is just inadequate and misleading."

Julie Sargent, CEO of the Cheltenham Lido, said: "Our car park has extensive signage to help guide visitors."

She added the hospital should "ensure that everyone is fully aware of where the free parking spaces are located".

A Parking Eye spokesperson said: "Both cases correctly received parking charges due to parking longer than the free stay and not making a payment to cover their stay."

However, the company has now cancelled the charges as a "gesture of goodwill" following the BBC's inquiry.

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