Doncaster man's fury over £80 parking fine while he was trying to get Covid jab

David Cuthbert was stung with the hefty charge by private parking firm ParkingEye – despite car park signs saying that cameras had been turned off, allowing people to get their jabs at the nearby vaccination centre in Rutland House.

Mr Cuthbert, from Kirk Sandall, had parked his vehicle in the car park of the Mount Group Practice on Thorne Road – just opposite the vaccine centre on and whose car park is officially signposted as parking for people getting their jabs.

He said: “I'm concerned that more people are falling foul of this, thinking they're the only ones.

"I assumed it would be overturned on appeal, but this morning my appeal was rejected so I've had to pay.”

Mr Cuthbert, a swimming coach for Doncaster Dartes, visited the vaccine centre in November for his jab after receiving a number of text reminders from his GP and added: “Parking in the official vaccination centre car park to visit the vaccination centre is what generated this ludicrous parking charge.

“The Mount Group Practice car park is allocated for non-disabled parking for the vaccination centre.

"There was a sign in the car park which said ‘Parking Eye is turned off so please park here for your vaccine.”

"Between that notice and the covid vaccine car park road signs, any reasonable interpretation would be that I should NOT be charged for using the car park in this way.”

He says his appeal was rejected because of lack of proof of an appointment and added: “My GP, Kingthorne Group, had been texting me reminders to book a booster appointment

"On each day I attempted to book an appointment, but the booking system told me there weren't any available. So on the day in question I drove in and parked in the car park and walked over to Rutland House to see if I could just "walk-in" for a booster.

"Unfortunately, the centre was closed, which in hindsight is why there were no appointments were available.

"I had no way of knowing that before visiting though. Indeed there were a number of other people milling around at the same time, also hoping to "walk-in" for their booster jab. On all my scheduled visits to this covid vaccination centre, there were always walk-in visitors receiving jabs, it was a perfectly reasonable expectation.

"Any reasonable interpretation of the evidence provided must surely conclude that I parked in the car park on 29 November with the intention of visiting the vaccine centre, even though it turned out to be closed.

“Furthermore, had I been taking advantage of this car park to walk into Doncaster town centre, it would have taken considerably longer than the estimated 20 minutes I was parked there.

"I followed the vaccination centre parking signs in good faith and for the reason intended.”

We have contacted both the Mount Group and Parking Eye for response.