DRIVERS from the volunteer Link service are refusing to transport patients to Swindon's Great Western Hospital after they were issued with parking fines, despite displaying their parking permits.

The Devizes branch of the Link service, a voluntary organisation which helps elderly or vulnerable people get to hospital and out-patient clinics for appointments, said it will not drive to Swindon again until the parking problems are sorted out.

Branch chairman Pete Cousins said: "Our volunteers are mostly retired people who ferry patients to the hospital out of the goodness of their hearts.

"They are not paid, and I think to fine them for parking there is frankly an insult, and that is why I have issued a blanket ban.

"The two people who were fined were extremely upset and I don't see why my volunteers should be subjected to that."

One of those given a ticket is Sandra Mitchell, a volunteer from Calne who has been driving patients for four years.

While helping an elderly lady into the hospital for an appointment at the eye clinic, Mrs Mitchell was given a £60 parking fine.

She said: "I have been driving patients for years, to the Princess Margaret Hospital, RUH in Bath, Oxford John Radcliffe and Chippenham hospital, and never had any problems until the Great Western opened.

"We all have parking permits saying that we are Link drivers, but for some reason Swindon Borough Council does not seem to recognise them.

"I was very upset to be given the ticket, and it upset the lady I was driving too."

Hospital spokesman Chris Birdsall said: "We have been looking into the problem and are already designing a new laminated parking permit, which will be issued to all Link volunteers.

"As there are over 200 Link drivers this process has taken some time, but we hope to have them issued very soon, and we have already contacted the council to have the two parking tickets issued revoked."