Confusion over parking system at Royal Preston Hospital after a man pays £10 following 70-minute visit

Warren Challinor from Graham Street, Deepdale, visited partner Elaine several times a day last week, with notably different amounts charged.

While some of the charges matched to the tariff on display, he said he was shocked to be charged £5.50 for a 30 minute stay on Tuesday and £10 for a 70-minute stay on Wednesday on the system that takes a photograph of a car’s number plate on entry, with payment on exit.

Following the £10 charge, he visited again and claims the machine instructed him he had an £8 credit. He said when he tried to use the credit, the machine then failed to detect his number plate, and he had to pay another £2.

The 63-year-old carer said: “It’s a nightmare.

“I know this isn’t just me, there are a lot of people who are struggling with these machines. At one point last week there was a man showing people how to use it.”

He added: “It’s not user friendly, it’s not good for people who might be in a stressful situation at hospital.”

Parking Eye said there was an option to overpay - which they believe is what Mr Challinor might have done. He denies this.

Overpaying allows a visitor to purchase time, for instance eight hours, where they can leave and return and not be charged again. Parking Eye claim there is no monetary credit held.

A ParkingEye spokesperson said: “We offer a range of payment methods for all visitors to the car park.

“Motorists can pay via the good2go mobile site, once registered payment will be taken automatically on each visit; registration can also be done up to 24 hours after leaving the car park. Motorists can pay via cash, card or contactless at the kiosk or if the visit is under 30 minutes they can park for free.

“We know that visits to the hospital can be difficult so we also offer the motorist the ability to the pay for their parking at any point during their stay or via good2go. This can be useful for visitors who know they might have difficulty getting patients from the hospital to the car, to make their visit as stress free as possible.”