‘UNFAIR’ parking charges by Oxford's hospital trust have raised more than £3m every year since 2014, new figures reveal, as both of the city's MPs call for them to be scrapped.

Fines and penalties collected by Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH), have also almost doubled for parking over the same period, according to data obtained by this paper through a Freedom Of Information request.

It comes after hospital staff at the John Radcliffe, Churchill and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre were accused this week of taking already limited patients' spaces by an Oxford city councillor.

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Parking charges, which also includes Banbury's Horton Hospital, were at their highest in 2016/17 when £3.9m was raised.

The John Radcliffe consistently raised the most money from charges - having never generated less than £1.7m.

Layla Moran, MP for Oxford West and Abingdon branded the charges 'unfair' and said the Government needed to ensure trusts were not 'financially reliant' on them.

Anneliese Dodds, MP for Oxford East said Labour had called for parking at hospitals to be free for patients, visitors and NHS staff and this would be funded by a rise in insurance premium tax on private health insurance.

She added: “We need better public transport solutions into our hospitals for those who can take public transport- although I accept that for many patients, public transport is not an option.

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“I will continue to argue for better bus transport, especially so that people do not have to go all the way into town from the east of the city only in order to come back out again to Headington.’’

Jason Dorsett, Executive Director at OUH, said the revenue from the charges went back into patient care and it was comparable to other car parks in the county.

He added: “Patients and visitors are eligible for concessionary or free car parking if they are on low incomes, visiting our hospitals long-term or need to attend regularly."

Mr Dorsett said charging also acted as a deterrent to stop the spaces being 'misused by commuters'.

Jacquie-Pearce Gervis, head of Oxford Patient Voice, however, said: “The trust has always been reluctant to say what they do with the money raised by car parking charges, and just say that it is used to improve patient services.’’