HOSPITAL parking bosses have been accused of ‘daylight robbery’ after fining nurses £65 not displaying their permits correctly while parked in the staff area.

The staff have money deducted every month from their bank account to pay for their parking spaces.

And bosses have the details of all vehicle registrations entitled to park at the barrier-controlled staff section at the Royal Blackburn Hospital.

But nurses were still fined incorrectly displaying their permits.

And the proceeds of the penalties go to Consort Healthcare, the private company which built the hospital under the private finance initiative.

Under the PFI deal the £130million hospital will cost £680million in total repayments due to the interest added on.

Consort recoups more than £250,000 in car parking charges for staff which goes to pay off the £680million.

Blackburn MP Jack Straw called the situation “unreasonable”, and promised to take it up with hospital directors, while chairman of Blackburn with Darwen’s health scrutiny committee Roy Davies called it “daylight robbery”.

They staff can appeal the fines if they chose.

One nurse, who asked not to be named, received a fine on Monday after wardens said her permit was not fully visible.

She said: “We pay for our parking through our wages so a quick check of my registration plate would have shown I was a member of staff and I had paid.

“It’s bad enough that we have money deducted for the privilege of coming to work anyway, but when you finish a 10-hour shift and come out to find that on your windscreen, it’s really upsetting.

“The money you end up paying negates what you earned in that shift.

“Appealing it is a long process so most of us will end up just paying them.”

A spokesman for Consort declined to reveal how many tickets had been given out in the staff car park, but said its wardens were justified because there had been occasions where people who do not work for the hospital had beaten the system and accessed the area.

She said staff had been asked to display their permits to make things clearer for wardens.

But Coun Davies said: “It is daylight robbery and is absolutely scandalous. There is no wonder nurses feel undervalued when they are being treated like this.

“These nurses should have free parking anyway.

“Administering appeals will cost a lot of money, and a lot of people will just pay to avoid the hassle.”

Tim Ellis, North West regional officer for Unison, said the union would back all staff who wanted to appeal their tickets.

He said: “Unison is concerned about this situation.”

Jack Straw promised to intervene, saying: “What is happening is unreasonable and although parking has to be regulated, it appears that it could be done in a more benign way and I will discuss this with the trust.”

Stephen Brookfield, director of finance, information, planning and capital for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust said: “As part of the trust’s car parking policy a valid permit must be displayed in parked cars.

“Should a ticket be issued to a member of staff who has not got their permit on display – but are in possession of one which they are paying for - the ticket can be quashed through an appeal.”