IN A separate incident a Montrose volunteer car ambulance driver’s anger has boiled over at having parking tickets slapped on his vehicle at Ninewells.

His refusal to stump up £10 for the latest ticket has resulted in the matter being put in the hands of a debt collecting agency, but the man says he is prepared to go all the way to court to contest the unfairness of being repeatedly ticketed allegedly for inappropriate parking.

“The first time I got a ticket, it was issued before I even arrived at the hospital. The time entered on the ticket giving the duration of the offence gave a start time 15 minutes earlier than I was actually parked up. I was supposedly blocking a fire exit.

“I contested that one and got off with the penalty.

“The second ticket was issued I was told because I had no stickers on my vehicle. But my car is clearly marked as an ambulance vehicle, carrying the Scottish Ambulance Service emblem and my driver number. These are supposed to give me the same parking privileges as ambulances.

“I also contested that one and didn’t have to pay up.

“The third time I got a ticket I phoned up the park attendants and have to admit I lost my temper.

“I refused to pay and now I have been sent a letter threatening me with court action.”

The tickets were all issued by Apcoa, the company operating the Ninewells car park until May this year, when Vinci Park took over.

“Many of my visits are to the Ninewells renal unit, and I feel it is an absolute disgrace to be targeted like this,” said the volunteer driver, unwilling to be named, he said, for fear of being further victimised.

He said, “I take patients to all the hospitals, in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh and the only problems I have ever encountered have been at Ninewells, where I have also seen cars with disabled stickers being targeted.

“I have also spoken to a nurse who had to pay up after receiving a ticket.

“This is happening because the park attendants are lazy, just dishing out tickets without first checking vehicles for the appropriate car stickers.

“I am not paying this £10 fine and am prepared to go to court if need be to highlight the problems about this kind of unfair treatment by the Ninewells attendants.”

A spokesman for Apcoa said, “It is very difficult in any car park whether at a hospital or public, for the parking attendants to be able to recognise everybody with understandable reason for overstaying their welcome.

“These people are paid to run the car park and enforce the regulations.

“Without knowing the specific details of this case, it is very difficult to comment. But it could be that something was obscured on the vehicle or may have fallen off.”

A spokeswoman for Vinci Park said they had introduced seven clearly marked parking spaces for volunteer ambulance car drivers.

He said time was also allowed on A&E access roads for them to drop off patients and those staying longer were instructed to move along.

“The only instance where we take further action is when a vehicle has been left there and is causing an obstruction on this vital route,” she added.