A retired police officer from the West Midlands has been locked in a distressing battle over £240 worth of unfair parking fines incurred while taking his terminally-ill wife to hospital, despite correctly using a Blue Badge.
A System Failure During a Difficult Time
Roy Sanders, 73, from Wall Heath, has been accompanying his 70-year-old wife Judy to appointments at Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley. Following parking changes at the hospital last year, which introduced Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), Mr Sanders diligently registered their car details online with the parking operator, Nexus Group, in June 2025.
Blue Badge holders are entitled to free parking, and Mr Sanders confirmed the setup was successful, even receiving confirmation from a machine on-site that 'no fee would be required'. Despite this, the first £80 Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) arrived in the post after a hospital visit on November 22, 2025.
'A Robotic Circle of Incompetence'
Although Mr Sanders successfully appealed the initial fine by providing his Blue Badge details, two further £80 fines followed for visits on December 9 and December 15. Each time, he went through the same appeal process, only to be told to register the Blue Badge—which he had already done.
'I'm really angry about it,' Mr Sanders said. 'Every time I appealed, submitted the same details, won my appeal and was told to register the Blue Badge, but I already had! It was like I was stuck in a robotic circle of incompetence.'
He expressed concern that more vulnerable people might simply pay the fines out of fear, lacking the resources or confidence to challenge them.
Admitted Error and Wider Concerns
Nexus Group stated the fines were issued because the vehicle registration mark (VRM) linked to the Blue Badge on their system was incorrect by one character. They confirmed they have since updated the details and cancelled all three fines 'given the situation'.
However, Mr Sanders is adamant he entered the details correctly and questioned why, if the error existed from the first fine, it took over a month to be identified. He also revealed that staff he spoke to acknowledged receiving a 'phenomenal amount' of similar complaints about the car park.
Diane Wake, Chief Executive of the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, said the Trust was aware of the issue and directed visitors to information on their website and at parking machines on how to register vehicles with Blue Badges.
While Mr Sanders has not suffered financially, his case highlights potential systemic issues with ANPR systems and the additional stress they can place on patients and families during already challenging times.
