Hallamshire hospital staff warned parking fines are returning at nearby Wetherspoons pub

Wetherspoons, which owns the Francis Newton pub on Clarkehouse Road, had allowed hospital staff to park there for free during the coronavirus lockdown.

But the pub is now preparing to reopen and wants staff to be aware that parking charges will re-start and enforcement cameras will be switched back on from midnight on Monday, June 29.

There was a glitch in the free parking when nurses were fined hundreds of pounds by a private parking company.

Wetherspoons said NHS staff "categorically" should not have been fined and cancelled all the tickets.

It's now given advanced warning that patrols will begin again and non-customers will be fined.

The car park at the Hallamshire Hospital remains free of charge for staff and visitors. At the start of lockdown, the Government said it would cover the costs of providing free car parking to NHS staff working in hospitals.

Free key worker parking in off-street council car parks, which had been provided since March, has now ended as the city centre reopens and non-essential businesses begin to trade again.

However a free parking pass scheme provided by the council, put in place to support NHS staff and volunteers, and those working in the care sector will remain.

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