Posted 31 May 2017 - 14:35
Posted 31 May 2017 - 14:35
News
Car vandalised after nurse has 'no option' but to park on street
A nurse and other NHS staff have had their cars scratched and angry notes left on their windscreens after parking on a residential street.
A nurse and other NHS staff have had their cars scratched and angry notes left on their windscreens after parking on a residential street near their workplace.
Police are investigating after four staff members' cars were targeted about half a mile from Bedford Hospital, Bedfordshire on Sunday reports.
Hundreds of pounds
One nurse, who said they had parked on the street due to demand for spaces at the hospital, said they had been left with a bill running into hundreds of pounds after their vehicle was vandalised.
A note left on the windscreens of the vehicles, and purportedly from 15 residents, incorrectly states the street is permit-only and claims further damage will be done if staff continue to park there.
'You have been parking on this road to avoid pay parking fee. As us residents that live on this road can not park due to **** like yourselves (sic),' it says.
The author of the note adds they have reported the cars to the local council, continuing: 'Due to the fact we have been paying to get a permit and you haven’t, your vehicle has been left with a big scratch across your car.
'Your own insurance won’t even cover that so you can pay it out your own pocket. That should make up for all the times you have parked here for free.'
'No option'
One nurse told the newspaper: 'I parked there because I had no option, other than to get to work two hours early. To come back to this was awful.
'It has cost me £280 to fix the scratch on my car and get new tyres that had screws stuck in them.'
A spokesperson for Bedford Hospital NHS Trust told Nursing Standard the trust is 'working hard' to address parking issues, and that a planning application for additional spaces had been submitted to the local council.
The trust also encouraged staff to cycle to work where possible, join a liftshare scheme, or use park and ride.
In other news