A MUM who was slapped with a parking fine after she suffered a miscarriage in hospital has slammed the firm taking her to court as “diabolical”.
Sharna Cooper, 32, was admitted to A&E earlier this year in traumatic circumstances and spent several hours receiving treatment.
NottinghamshireLive/BPMA mum was fined for staying too long in a hospital car park after suffering a miscarriage[/caption]
After she was discharged, Sharna, from Nottingham, was left aghast to discover that she was being pursued by Vehicle Control Services (VCS) for staying 45 minutes longer than she had paid for in the hospital’s car park.
VCS was not initially aware of the circumstances of her treatment but, when informed by Nottinghamshire Live, maintained that “the parking charge was correctly issued”.
Sharna appealed the £100 fine but claims it took months for the company to decide on her case.
When it eventually did she was on holiday and so missed the time-limited offer of a reduced fine and the appeal was rejected.
Now, VCS is pursuing “debt recovery” and is taking the mum-of-two to court, leaving her facing having to pay out £225, including legal costs.
She said: “It took months for them to say that they were not willing to put my appeal into consideration.
“I ended up with the debt collectors sending a letter.
“I told them what I’d been through and then I didn’t hear anything from August up until the other week when a letter came through saying the case was being sent to court.”
A letter from VCS told Sharna that it was her “responsibility” to return to her car before her permit expired and that drivers are able to use a third-party app to extend their time remotely.
It also communicated their “deepest sympathies” and said that her circumstances had been “noted”.
However, Sharna slammed the company’s actions in pursuing the charge as “diabolical”.
She added: “There was no physical way I could have gone to the car park and added time on and even if I had the app, my parking was the last thing on my mind after what I’d been through.
“I just don’t want anyone else to go through this situation, if somebody has lost a parent or been through anything like that, they shouldn’t get getting badgered about a parking ticket.”
A spokesperson for VCS said: “Ms Cooper received a Parking Charge for failure to pay the tariff which she could have completed at the terminal or using the Pay by Phone service.
“Ms Cooper exercised her right to appeal and was offered a reduced settlement charge in light of her situation.
“This was not paid and as such the notice continued to debt recovery.
“Had the reduced charge been paid, there would have been no further action.”
It comes after drivers were warned they face a fine and up to nine penalty points for carrying a Christmas tree incorrectly.
Meanwhile, the fuel duty freeze is set to end, with a 5p rise expected in just months.