- Derek Weir was called into an urgent meeting to discuss wife’s condition and returned to his car just minutes late to find the £80 parking ticket
- Mr Weir appealed the fine but it was rejected by Havering Council
- Daughter launched online campaign and shamed council bosses into u-turn
- Miss Weir has slammed the council’s ‘inhumane, insensitive bureaucracy’Â
Keiligh Baker For Mailonline
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A furious woman launched a massive online campaign to force council chiefs to rip up an £80 hospital parking ticket handed to her father as her mother fought for her life.
Heidi Weir, 34, a hair extension specialist, roared into action after her devastated father Derek Weir, 61, was targeted when he got back to his car at Queen’s Hospital in Romford, Essex, just nine minutes after his ticket ran out.
Red-faced council bosses have now performed an embarrassing U-turn after Miss Weir launched a huge internet campaign for justice.
Heidi Weir (pictured) launched an online campaign after her father was slapped with a parking ticket while visiting her critically-ill mother in hospital. Mr Weir was just nine minutes late when he was handed the £80 fine
She created a special Facebook group when her distraught father had his fine upheld after receiving it while in an urgent meeting to discuss his critically ill wife, Natalie, 61.
Mr Weir was called into the meeting with the ward sister and occupational therapist 30 minutes before his ticket ran out, but was assured the meeting would only take 15 minutes.
As Mrs Weir lay battling for her life with bleeding to her brain, Mr Weir’s meeting over-ran – and a parking warden pounced. Â
On the advice of shocked hospital staff, he appealed against the fine.
But both Mr Weir and his daughter say they were ‘disgusted’ to have their appeal rejected by the council, which runs the troubled £200m flagship hospital’s car park.
The authority said it would need proof of the crisis meeting last Wednesday on October 22.
Miss Weir, of Chelmsford, turned to Facebook to share her thoughts – and her Hospital Parking group has attracted thousands.
One post detailing the situation has received a staggering 125,000 ‘likes’ so far – and almost 10,000 people have joined the group so far.
Miss Weir slammed the council’s ‘inhumane, insensitive bureaucracy’ and was flooded with messages of support and empathy from others who have also been singled out by jobsworths nationwide.
The outraged mum-of-one wrote: ‘I refuse to say to a ward sister, “excuse me, can you stop saving that person’s life, please, while you write me a letter to the council to say you called my dad into the meeting?â€â€˜
Two days and 100,000 ‘likes’ later, Mr Weir, of Romford, received an email out of the blue from Havering Council to arrange a refund.Â
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A council spokesman said: ‘We are cancelling the ticket and refunding the money.
‘We’re sorry for any distress and upset caused to the family. We had asked for supporting evidence, which is usual practice.
‘But we reviewed the case and concluded, given the circumstances, we could cancel the ticket without the additional evidence.’
Queen’s Hospital in Romford, Essex (pictured) where Mr Weir was given the £80 parking ticket
But it was too little too late for Miss Weir and she has now accused the under-fire authority of ‘dropping their principles for publicity’.
She said: ‘It makes me even more mad.
‘I’d have far more respect for them if they stuck to their guns, I don’t care about our money. I care about all the people that don’t have the energy to make the enormous fuss I have!’
She now believes that hospital parking fees should be abolished altogether and ‘will not rest’ until she achieves her goal.
Her mother is ‘still fighting’ for her life in hospital.
In August the Department of Health issued new guidelines which told hospitals in England to cut the cost of parking for certain groups – including relatives of people who are seriously ill. .
Ministers said relatives of people who are seriously ill or have to stay in hospital for a long time should be given free parking or reduced charges.
The guidelines state: ‘Additional charges should only be imposed where reasonable and should be waived when overstaying is beyond the driver’s control (eg when treatment takes longer than planned.)’
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