THE son of a stroke victim has accused hospital bosses of penalising distressed people after a sharp increase in parking fees for visitors.

Garth Rookes, 56, was outraged when car parking charges at the University Hospital of Hartlepool went up on Tuesday.

Instead of a flat £1 daily rate, each visit now costs relatives or friends £1.50 per visit.

"If anybody wants to visit their sick relative and they went twice a day, seven days a week it would cost them £21 a week, that's a 200 per cent increase," he fumed.

Mr Rookes has been taking his 89 year old mother, Esme, to visit his 87 year old father, Ralph, twice a day for the last three weeks after he suffered a major stroke.

Until Tuesday Mr Rookes could park all day for £1.

But now barriers have been installed and it will cost £1.50 every time he visits his dad.

"I feel very strongly about this. My taxes built this hospital," he said.

"It seems that management of this hospital have got this all wrong, it is a tax on the relatives of the sick, people who are in a distressed state," he added.

The father-of-four now lives in Bradford but came back to his home town to visit his ailing father.

"The first thing I knew about this was when I saw cars queuing up at the barriers and signs warning you would be clamped if you didn't pay up," he added.

A spokeswoman for the North Tees and Hartlepool Trust said: "We would like to apologise to anyone who has been inconvenienced by the introduction of the new car parking system. All issues raised will be taken on board by the Trust and reviewed.

"A rise in car parking charges has been necessary to fund the significant improvements to capacity, lighting and security that the new system has brought about; however, all profits will be reinvested into maintaining and further developing car parking and transport facilities in the future.

Concessional passes are available for people visiting the hospital more than once a day for at least one week."