CABBIE Keith Radway claims that his drivers are being picked on by parking wardens when delivering patients to the Great Western Hospital.

Mr Radway owns Swindon Black Cabs, which has a contract with the Oxfordshire Ambulance NHS Trust to transport renal patients to GWH.

But he says his drivers have received two tickets in recent weeks and are getting a raw deal from Swindon Council.

But the council argues that its attendants have a duty to ensure irresponsibly parked cars do not obstruct emergency vehicles.

Mr Radway said: "Going around harassing hospital patients and taxi drivers aiding them is an inexcusable thing.

"We pick up dialysis patients and all of them are in wheelchairs. We don't just drop them off. We have to wheel them up to the unit.

"They can't be out in the cold long so it can involve the driver having to park illegally for a short time.

"Our drivers are often hanging around on the wards waiting for the patients and because of this they're getting hassled. It's disgusting."

The company has managed to get the two fines of £30 each overturned but Mr Radway says it was not easy.

"The council didn't want to overturn the second one. We did it with great difficulty, we had to get the health trust to ask them.

"It's a lot of stress for doing their job. If you're doing a job picking up sick people and you've got people giving you tickets. It's not right."

Ken Shakespeare, 61, of Freshbrook, uses the taxi company three times a week for his dialysis treatment at the hospital.

He said: "The council is just out to get as much money as they can.

"The taxi drivers are good, they take the disabled out and help them get to the wards and they get abused for it.

"If they decide they're going to stop taking me up to the hospital because of the hassle what do I do then?"

Nick Westbrook, spokesman for the Great Western Hospital Public and Patient Involvement Forum, said: "Our main concern is that patients are delivered to the hospital in a collaborative way with the minimum of stress to the patients, staff and taxi drivers.

"The forum has the power to try to do something about the issue.

"If we could have an arrangement whereby porters are getting the patients to and from the hospital the taxi drivers would not have to wait and so won't go getting tickets."

Swindon Council spokesman Gavin Calthrop, said: "Parking and waiting restrictions at the Great Western Hospital are very clearly signed and it is the responsibility of vehicle owners to comply with them.

"Our parking attendants do not harass any motorists and do an excellent job in often challenging circumstances.

"Their role is particularly important at the hospital where it is imperative that emergency vehicles are not obstructed by irresponsibly parked cars."

Gareth Bethell