Hospital parking fees scandal continues as analysis shows one site charges £76 A DAY 

Hospitals are piling pressure on ambulance services by charging patients up to £76.80 a day to park, campaigners warned yesterday. 

They said sky-high parking fees mean many sick Britons can no longer afford to drive to A&E and rely on 999 vehicles instead. 

Researchers analysed parking charges at 120 hospitals in England and found St Thomas’ Hospital in central London was the most expensive at £3.20 an hour – £76.80 a day. Seven of the ten priciest car parks for a 24-hour stay were in the capital. 

The most expensive outside London was Addenbrooke’s in Cambridge, which charges £22, according to the research by car sales firm Motorfinity. 

Department of Health guidance says NHS hospitals can charge for parking but prices should be ‘reasonable for the area’. 

Trusts must offer free parking to some groups, including disabled patients and parents of sick children staying overnight. 

Tory MP Sir Mike Penning, who has campaigned against hospital parking charges, said: ‘Drivers are being fleeced by trusts who charge extortionate fees and use car parks as cash cows, which is morally wrong. 

‘If patients cannot afford to park they will pass that pressure on to others, be it a friend, relative or the ambulance service.’ 

Dean Skiba, of Motorfinity, said: ‘Some of the charges found in this research are pretty eye-watering.’ 

A spokesman for Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust said: ‘The £3.20 hourly cost of parking… is in line with local parking facilities.’ 

Saffron Cordery, of NHS Providers, which represents trusts, said: ‘We’d urge people only to call 999 and request an ambulance in a real emergency.’