A PARKING crackdown at the Royal Blackburn and Burnley General hospital sites has netted nearly 100 victims.

Security officials at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust say they are happy with the tally, which they say shows people are heeding their warnings about inconsiderate parking.

Car park operators Meteor, for Blackburn, and Central Ticketing, at Burnley, launched parking ticket penalty schemes in March - effectively introducing traffic wardens at the two sites.

Ninety-six notices have been issued - to both staff and visitors - during the first month of the scheme at the East Lancashire sites.

Before the initiative went fully live, hospital parking workers placed warning notices on offending vehicles.

Motorists can find themselves with a £65 ticket for a number of reasons - parking outside a designated bay, not displaying a valid pay and display ticket and leaving cars in unauthorised areas are among the most common.

But one popular gripe was the abuse of disabled parking spaces by able-bodied drivers, according to Coun Tony Humphrys, chairman of Blackburn with Darwen's health scrutiny committee.

He said: "I have been on the Royal Blackburn car park recently and found disabled parking areas have been absolutely full, and other parts of the car park have had plenty of spaces, all because you don't have to pay for disabled parking."

Coun Humphrys said increased parking problems had been noticed along Old Bank Lane, near the new hospital, home to Newfields and Crosshills special schools.