Another fine mess for nurse
A SECOND nurse at Manchester Royal Infirmary was hammered with five parking fines worth £350 - despite having paid the fees from his wages.
Joshua Cooper’s parking ordeal echoes that of nurse Nicola McGarr who was also slapped with five fines totalling £350, despite the fees having been taken from her wages.
In Joshua’s case, the student nurse received the first three fines while paying for a permit and the final two, six months later when he was paying for parking each day. He admits he appealed later than he should have because he suffered three strokes.
After our reporters got in touch, ParkingEye bosses said they were cancelling all five fines. They said they had made the decision before the M.E.N. made contact.
The hospital trust has admitted there are ‘issues’ with the permit management system and has apologised.
Joshua, 25, from Urmston, said the months of reminders have put unnecessary pressure on his family. He said: “It just made me very worried and depressed. Every day I was worried what I’d find when I got home. I was getting reminder letters to pay for the charges even though I was insisting I’d paid the parking fees. With a baby on the way and having just bought our first house, it was added pressure.”
Joshua’s first fines were for February 5, February 13 and February 20. During this time, like Nicola, he had parking permit costs and fees taken from his wages. He said: “I’m not the only one getting these tickets. I think it’s a problem with the number plate recognition cameras.”
A Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust spokeswoman said: “We are aware of a number of interface issues between our permit management system and our Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system on Grafton Street car park.
“We apologise for any distress caused to this member of staff and will investigate this further to reach a resolution with Joshua.”
Are you a member of NHS staff affected by parking fines? Get in touch with the M.E.N. at charlotte.cox@ menmedia.co.uk.