EVERY week I visit my mother, who is on long-term stay in Hinchingbrooke Hospital, and pay a £2 parking fee. The other week, an oversight on my part brought a £40 fine for not paying this fee. My fault, certainly, but is there any reason why parking shoul

EVERY week I visit my mother, who is on long-term stay in Hinchingbrooke Hospital, and pay a £2 parking fee.

The other week, an oversight on my part brought a £40 fine for not paying this fee. My fault, certainly, but is there any reason why parking should be more expensive at this hospital than at Heathrow and why such savage fines are necessary?

Bearing in mind the public paid for the construction of the hospital and for its equipping, staffing and operation, why should we have to pay for parking at all?

Of course, Hinchingbrooke is not alone in its policy, and parking at hospitals has become a national racket motivated solely by corporate greed. Or am I missing something?

IAN RICHARDS, Bredfield, Suffolk