Express & Star

Fines for nuisance parking on roads near Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley

Parking fines have been dished out on roads surrounding Dudley's Russells Hall Hospital as part of a crackdown on obstructive and illegal parking.

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Dozens of cars were spotted parked on kerbs and across driveways along The Oval, Ashenhurst Road, Middlepark Road and Overfield Road over the past week.

Police tweeted images in their latest crackdown on The Oval, saying four cars had been ticketed on Wednesday morning.

Officers for St James in Dudley tweeted: "Four more tickets for illegal parking on Russell's hall this morning already. Come on people it is cheaper to pay to park.

"Ashenhurst Road, the Oval and Overfield Road are all long term suffering locations for obstructive parking."

It comes as it was revealed earlier this year that more than 550 parking fines had been issued on roads surrounding the hospital in 12 months.

Councillor Cathryn Bayton, who represents the St James' Ward, labelled it an on-going problem that the council did appreciate.

She said: "I know that it is a massive problem on the whole of the estate.

"Myself and the other two ward councillors have previously done some work with the residents to see if we could introduce parking permits and guaranteed parking spaces for them, but there would have been a cost with that.

"If double yellow lines were placed there then it would also hinder them parking outside their homes so there is not a huge amount the council can do about it if vehicles are parking legally.

"It they are illegally parking up then that is another issue - we do appreciate how hard it is for the people who live in the area."

Hundreds of drivers were caught out trying to dodge paying to park at the hospital earlier this year, with the bulk of the fines being handed out along the A4101 High Street, in Pensnett.

A total of 566 parking tickets were handed out from April 1 to March 21 2015 – more than 10 a week.

Bosses at Russells Hall came under fire last summer when parking charges were increased, with short stay fees rising by as much as 50 per cent.

But hospital chiefs defended the move, saying running and maintenance costs meant a hike was needed and that the changes came after a two-year freeze on tariffs.

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