NEW car parking charges at Grimsby Hospital, which were introduced this week, have been labelled "extortionate" by disgruntled visitors.
As announced last month, free parking for up to 20 minutes has been scrapped, and replaced by a minimum charge of £2.50 for up to one hour. The cost for between one and two hours has gone up from £1.90 to £3.50.
The announcement came just days before it was revealed that hospital chief executive Karen Jackson had been awarded a £25,000 pay rise, and the new prices came into force on Sunday.
A Cleethorpes resident, who did not wish to be named, was outraged after being charged £3.50 for a visiting Accident & Emergency on Monday night.
She said: "It is extortionate. The frustration is that when they introduced parking charges in that car park it was to support security because previously there were a lot of break-ins. This is clearly not about security, it is about making revenue for the hospital.
"Evidence shows that having visitors helps patients in their recovery.
"Now people are going to think about how often they can afford to go and visit."
Dave Townend, of Scunthorpe, was equally annoyed after being charged £3.50 for visiting a relative on Sunday.
He said: "I was very angry to say the least. I do hope my relative isn't in hospital much longer. I did not see any notices in the car park or the hospital making me aware of the price increase, but now I know about it. I, like many others, will park on the road nearby."
Local councillors also fear the price hike will result in even more cars parking in the already congested residential streets surrounding the hospital.
Councillor Norma Lincoln (Lab, South) said: "There will be traffic chaos. People who are visiting their relatives are not going to pay the charges – they are going to park wherever they can find a space on the street. It is a damn shame it has come to this."
Councillor Andrew De Freitas (Lib Dem, Park) said: "People in my ward are already very much affected by the parking problems caused by many of the employees of the hospital using the side streets, and another hike in charges is going to make the problem even worse."
Councillor Ron Shepherd (UKIP, Scartho) said: "The parking is happening predominantly in the streets surrounding the hospital but we are also seeing cars parking down Pelham Avenue and other streets in the ward of Scartho. The charging for parking is just disgraceful and not justified."
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