A HOSPITAL worker has today hit out at the lack of staff parking after receiving a fine for using the visitors' car park.The man, who does not wished to be named, said that he and a few other employees at Ipswich Hospital have been slapped with a £60 penalty notice for parking in the wrong area.

A HOSPITAL worker has today hit out at the lack of staff parking after receiving a fine for using the visitors' car park.

The man, who does not wished to be named, said that he and a few other employees at Ipswich Hospital have been slapped with a £60 penalty notice for parking in the wrong area.

Yet he claimed there was no choice but to use the alternative car park because the staff car park has been consistently full.

He said: “Three of us have got tickets now and the fine is £60. If you pay within seven days, it goes down to £30 but it is still a worry. The staff car park is always full and there is nowhere we can park.

“If a member of staff cannot get a parking space, why should they get fined for parking in the visitors' car park?”

Jan Rowsell, Ipswich Hospital spokeswoman, said: “The reality is we have to distinguish between patients' and staff car parking. Car parking anywhere is quite an emotive area.

“We moved the staff car park to a different area to allow easier access for patients and visitors to get to buildings. We appreciate this is a change.

“The closest car park to where people work is being filled up very quickly and the biggest staff car parking area is a walk away from the main hospital building.

“It is a secure car park. There is a constant CCTV footage being monitored. Anyone who is parking there can request an escort back to the car if they feel uncomfortable.”

She added that staff have to apply for a permit, which costs £15 a month. If they use the public car park, they have to pay the daily rate.

She said: “We have got to have rules. If people are found to be parking in the public car park without a valid permit, action will be taken.”

Are you a staff member at the hospital who finds parking a problem? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk