A report on parking charges imposed on hospital visitors published today posted that Epsom and St Helier University Hospital Trust in Surrey is reported to have grabbed £1.8 million plus from car parking fees in a single year.

Pondering over information accumulated from 126 different Freedom of Information requests for the year 2008/09, Which? has been tagged as the worst NHS hospital car parks in England.

It discovered that the Epsom and St Helier NHS trust clamped 1,671 cars in 12 months, while Leeds General Infirmary was recorded to have issued 10,000 plus fines, yielding £142,000 in profit.

The FOI requests also depicted that Barnet & Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust, in Enfield, Middlesex, bears the highest minimum charge at £4 for 2 hours parking. Royal Derby Hospital is known to have received 82 complaints in a year.

However, the best NHS hospital car park title was given to the Royal United Hospital in Bath, followed by the North Devon District Hospital.

“Royal United Hospital, Bath shows that not every hospital visit needs to end in a parking nightmare. Now we know which hospitals are scoring badly, they must take action and improve their parking services”, quoted, Peter Vicary-Smith, Chief executive of Which?.