An Aberdeenshire woman is appealing for hospital car park attendants to be more lenient after she was issued a fine just moments after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Lesley Maguire, from Laurencekirk, was at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee for tests when doctors gave her the devastating news.
The 59-year-old – who beat the disease 22 years ago – was further upset when she returned to her car to discover overzealous parking warden had given her a £40 fine, just a minute after her ticket had expired.
Mrs Maguire, an administrator at Aberdeen University, said when she tried to explain the situation to wardens, they would not listen and said they would need a letter from the clinic before lifting the penalty
She said: “I, at this point, was getting more upset due to the information received at the clinic.
“To receive such terrible news and then be confronted with that was just horrible.”
The fine has now been cancelled, but Mrs Maguire wants the company to change its policy so no one suffers the same distress as her.
“I don’t want anyone else with bad news to then have to face what we did afterwards,” she said.
“It is a hospital and people are not in control of the time or what news they can receive, resulting in the car parking ticket being far from their thoughts.”
A Vinci Park UK spokesman said: “We appreciate visiting a hospital can be a stressful and difficult time, and that appointments are often delayed or extended.
“In light of the specific circumstances, we have now cancelled Mrs Maguire’s parking notice.”