'Angry' Northampton pensioner slams GP surgery after being slapped with £100 parking fine while getting Covid-19 vaccine

An ‘angry’ pensioner and his wife have slammed a doctor’s surgery in Northampton after receiving a £100 fine for parking in their car park while getting a Covid-19 vaccination.

Brian, 75, and Jo Elijah-Sigston, 63, booked in at Whitefields Surgery, in Camp Hill, so Brian could have his Covid-19 vaccination, which is currently only being administered to those aged over 75.

The couple say they had previously used the surgery’s staff car park when receiving Covid-19 vaccinations in the past without any issue. However, this time they received a penalty charge notice (PCN) in the post from private car parking firm Parkingeye demanding £100 or £60 if paid within 14 days.

When booking a Covid-19 vaccination, the Government’s website allows the user to click Whitefields Surgery as an option. Brian and Jo say that if Whitefields was not an option they would never have parked in the car park in the first place.

The couple said: “The morality of it is disgraceful. Twice in the past we have parked in that staff car park and gone in the back door to have Covid-19 vaccinations. This time we get called up to the same place, you would assume you would be parking in the same area again.

“We were fined for 11 minutes in that car park, which was the time it took to go into the surgery, queue up and be told the vaccine is next door at the pharmacy.”

“They knew Whitefields Surgery was available to click on the NHS website, they should have sorted that out and said they have got the wrong premises. It’s on them.

"None of this is our fault. It’s so stressful and upsetting. All the people who are going to be fined are going to be over 75.”

The couple say they have been passed from pillar to post trying to get their fine waived by the surgery but to no avail, thus opting to come to Chron and Echo.

They said: “We can’t believe the surgery wasn’t able to rescind these parking fines when they obviously employ this company. Why are they not doing it? We can’t understand why.

"We paid the fine in the end because we didn’t want to risk having to pay £100 instead of £60.

"We’re feeling very angry, very let down and have no sense of justice.

“We have appealed to their good nature, sense of morality and their common sense to rescind this. We just want them to show some goodwill.”

A Whitefields Surgery spokesman said: “I am aware of a number of cases where people have used the staff car park at Whitefields Surgery while attending the Covid Vaccination clinic at UniDrug Pharmacy and have subsequently been issued with a parking charge notice (PCN).

“There are numerous signs around the car park and on the entrance, warning people that the car park is private and failure to observe the restrictions will lead to a penalty charge. It is true that during the Covid pandemic when the practice and Unidrug were jointly running a vaccination centre from the surgery, the company that monitors the car park (Parking Eye) lifted the parking restrictions to allow those with restricted mobility to park closer to the surgery.

“I personally sympathise with this couple, however if we support their request to cancel this PCN, then we would be obliged to cancel any other PCN’s received in similar circumstances.”

A Parkingeye spokesman said: “The staff car park at Whitefields Surgery is monitored by ANPR camera systems and features prominent and highly-visible signage which advises that the car park is for staff permit holders only.

“Parkingeye operates a British Parking Association audited appeals process, which motorists can use to appeal their parking charge notice. If anyone has mitigating circumstances, we would encourage them to highlight this by appealing.”