Fury over parking fine at doctors' surgery

Jacqueline Gale-Cranna said she was made to feel like a criminal after visiting Havant Health Centre, in Civic Centre Road, Havant.

The 61-year-old has been visiting the surgery for the past 14 years with no problems.

But a new parking enforcement scheme has now been installed.

It means cameras record the registration numbers of vehicles going in and out of the car park.

Jacqueline, who has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder, parked in one of the disabled bays and then went into the surgery, where there is now a machine to input car registration details.

With the help of the receptionist, she dialled in her details and thought nothing more of it.

To her shock, she then got a letter in the post with photographs of her driving in and out of the car park.

‘I received a parking ticket of £60 showing me going through into the doctors’ surgery car park and driving out again,’ said Jacqueline, a housewife who lives in Rectory Road, Langstone.

‘I was absolutely taken aback.

‘What infuriated me more was the lengths you have to go to get through to these people. It made me feel like I didn’t want to go to the doctors any more.

‘I’m distressed enough going to the doctors when I can’t breath and I’ve got arthritis.’

Jacqueline said it took her three hours to get through to an operator at Smart Parking, which run the scheme in Havant.

It transpired that Jacqueline had inputted a zero instead of the letter O on the machine.

And Jacqueline says the company refused to back down over dishing out the fine.

She has now been told the bill will go up to £100 if she does not pay up.

Jacqueline said: ‘I think it’s disgusting.

‘These people are going to the doctors because they are ill.

‘They should put in a pay and display before they do anything else.

‘Whoever has come up with this needs to get a bit of common sense.

‘It’s a money-making machine.’

Jacqueline said she will her fight her corner in court if necessary.

No-one at Smart Parking or Havant Health Centre was available for comment.

It website says: ‘Smart Parking Limited is a world leader in the design, development and management of parking technology. We’ve been transforming the parking experience and increasing revenues for a huge range of clients for over 10 years.’