Undertaker fined while waiting at hospital

A FUNERAL director has criticised a hospital after he got a parking fine while he was waiting to collect a body.

Jason Price, 50, was handed the penalty after he stayed for over an hour at Lincoln Hospital on Aug 9. A few days later he received a letter informing him he had been illegally parked outside the pathology department.

Mr Price, who runs Price & Son Independent Family Funeral Directors in Grantham, Lincs, has since reluctantly paid the fine. He said: “We were parked at pathology and had to wait for the necessary paperwork to be completed. We are usually in and out within half an hour but this time it took over an hour.

“We have been given a £70 fine reduced to £42 if you pay straight away. Our vehicle is a Mondeo ambulance, it even says ‘private ambulance’ on the back, so we were clearly not visitors.”

A United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust spokesperson said: “We work closely with funeral directors and ask that they provide us with their vehicle registration details so that they do not have to pay for parking.

“If we are not given this information then unfortunately it will result in a parking charge notice being issued.

“We look forward to hearing from Price & Son so that we can organise a refund of the charge.”