AT LEAST two patients of a doctors’ surgery that introduced a new parking system have decided to challenge their fines in court, it has emerged.

In October the Daily Echo reported how patients of the Adam Practice, Longfleet Road, Poole, were being fined up to £100 after a private company was hired.

The practice brought in the company amid concerns the surgery car park was being abused by people who were not patients.

Surgery patients must enter their registration details to avoid a penalty charge notice - for which there are signs dotted around the car park and inside the building.

However, a number of them say they have been caught out.

Patient Beverley Harris, who works as a receptionist at another Poole doctors’ surgery, told the Echo: “I’m well aware of all that goes on with people parking at surgeries who are not going to see a doctor - we’ve got a surgery where people park in the disabled spaces and the designated doctors’ spaces. It can be a nightmare to try and control.

“But after getting this ticket we went back to the surgery, got a letter proving I had a doctor’s appointment, but the parking company still refuse to quash the ticket.”

In May, last year, Beverley had an appointment at The Adam Practice.

“I parked there, went for my appointment - then about a month later got this ticket through the post.

“It has been passed onto another firm now, basically a collection agency. “We’ve refused to pay. I had a doctor’s appointment, I wasn’t feeling well. I’m a genuine patient, I’ve been a patient there for more than 50 years. I think I have to fight this.

“Genuine patients, with genuine appointments should not be fined in this way.”

Beverley is now awaiting her day in court to challenge the fine - which has risen from £100 to £350.

Meanwhile, Canford Heath mum-of-four Sarah Rudd, says she also received a ticket after an appointment last May. She explained: “I took my baby in and was heavily pregnant with another baby as well.”

Sarah, who only realised there was an issue when she overheard another patient asking about it, then entered her details - but two weeks later she says she got a £100 fine from the company Parking Eye.

She says despite securing a letter from the surgery confirming she had an appointment that day, the company refused to quash the ticket.

Sarah said: “I’m going to fight this. There is no way I’m going to let this go. £100 for a 20 minutes doctor’s appointment doesn’t seem right.”

“A lot of people have messaged me to say they are in the same position. I am not going to give up. The surgery is no longer giving out letters confirming patients had appointments.

“I just don’t know how you can justify a £100 fine - especially as a lot of the patients will be elderly, possibly disabled. I think this is wrong.”

Martyn Webster, Healthwatch Dorset manager, said: “If patients have been hit with a fine for parking when they’re attending an appointment, we hope that the Practice is telling its private parking firm to cancel those fines without delay. But it’s a situation that both patients and practice staff could do without and shouldn’t happen in the first place.”

No-one from the Adam Practice was available for comment.

However, speaking last year on the issue, practice business manager Andy Mintram said: “The continual abuse of our car park left enforcement as the only viable option to protect it for our patients’ use.”