Outrage as Luton and Dunstable Hospital patients "wrongly fined" for using car park

Patients at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital’s fracture and orthopaedic clinics have been handed parking fines amid ongoing confusion surrounding the car park.

Parking management company, Horizon, has given scores of patients fines for parking in the wrong part of the car park. The car park is divided between the NHS and the hotel, but people have said that the signage is unclear.

Susan Wickens received an ‘invoice’ for £85 from Horizon, which stated that she and her husband had failed to pay for the duration of their stay. Photographic evidence showed their car going in and out of the NHS car park entrance.

Susan, who has since had her fine cancelled, believes that the cameras for Travelodge’s car park are too far forward and are picking up people who are entering and exiting the NHS car park instead.

She said: “I feel aggrieved. They are robbing people. I want them to stop.” Before having her invoice cancelled by the parking firm, she said: “I didn’t pay because we didn’t do it. I knew I was going to go back again, and by paying I’d almost be admitting liability.”

Some people have gone ahead and paid their fines, despite this ongoing confusion. Marie Carey, 56, had driven from Caddington to the clinic on Dunstable Road in August. She was sent an invoice for a fine in September and paid the £51, after having her appeals rejected.

She said: “On the left-hand side, there are signs that say hospital parking, and we could see that there was a hospital parking meter on the right , so we parked up. There were no visible signs to say that the parking space was Travelodge’s.

“The only thing that was a differentiator was these orange poles in between two spaces, but it didn't specifically say that one side is the hospital and the other is Travelodge. We went and paid at the hospital machine, thinking that we were paying for hospital parking.”

Andrew Selous, MP for South West Bedfordshire, said: "It's outrageous that patients are being wrongly fined by Horizon on behalf of Travelodge for correctly parking in the Luton and Dunstable hospital car park.

“I will take up every issue of this happening to my constituents with both Horizon and Travelodge. I am also writing to the chief executive of the Hospital, so they can raise this directly with Travelodge as well. They should not be allowed to act as judge and jury in these cases, and it is absolute cheek to demand a reduced fee when people have not parked illegally in the first place."

Months after parking in the disputed car park, Marie says she is angry to still see the same thing happening to others. She explained: “It just makes me really angry. It's exploiting vulnerable people, they're actually there for a reason at the hospital because they've got some sort of illness or vulnerability.

“The last thing people like that need is for companies like this to be putting additional stress on them. And they should be looking at things like that which are disgraceful.”

Travelodge declined to comment. Regarding Susan’s complaint, a spokesperson for Horizon said: "We recognise that car park areas could potentially cause issues for drivers. We’re sorry to hear about the issues experienced in this individual’s case.

"We take such matters very seriously and, consequently, we will be introducing additional signage in the car park, clearly indicating the Travelodge and NHS sections, as well as carrying out an assessment of the road markings.

“We will also undertake an assessment of the ANPR Cameras to ensure that we avoid any potential issues given the proximity of the two parking sections. Further, we will proactively engage with the NHS to work collaboratively to help support drivers parking within either area of the car park.

“In the particular case that you have raised, we are pleased to confirm that we have cancelled the Parking Charge Notice and have already contacted the driver to confirm the cancellation. Should any other drivers feel their PCNs have similar issues we would encourage them to appeal using the details shown on their PCN. Further information about how to appeal PCNs can be found on our website.”

A spokesperson for Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said, “We are concerned to hear of the parking issues some patients are experiencing when accessing our services at the Travelodge near the main L&D Hospital site. We are currently in discussion with Horizon to address the matters raised and how these can be prevented going forward.”