Anger at hospital parking changes

6.44.31pm UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 12th Apr 2007

A relative of a disabled patient claims parking at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire is more difficult since stricter rules were brought in. People displaying blue disabled badges used to be able to park in any space but now the hospital says people must park in the bays allocated to them.

Eunice Ridge, who takes her disabled husband for regular appointments, says she cannot find a space to park. The hospital trust said it believed there were enough bays for visitors.

Trust spokesman Paul Allcock said: "We're happy at the moment that it's sufficient. We have a policy in place that will drive a review of that provision and once the scheme has settled down we'll take another view on that."

Mrs Ridge said: "It was quite a shock, suddenly to come up on you like that but really there aren't enough parking bays."

She said the lack of disabled spaces is a problem for her as the rest of the car park she uses is on a slope. "If I want a wheelchair (for her husband) I couldn't possibly push a 13 stone man up that slope to the car park," she said.