SICK patients, distraught relatives and hard working staff are being forced to pay £2.1 million a year in parking fees at Rowley Regis, City and Sandwell Hospitals.

New figures, obtained by a freedom of information request, reveal how much Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust raked in through parking charges in the last financial year.

West Bromwich East MP Tom Watson, who published the figures, said: "For many years, I’ve been critical of the high parking charges at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Hospitals Trust.

“As a result of central government cuts, hospital bosses seem desperate to find income any way they can - even if it means charging chronically sick people who need to park in order to receive treatment.”

Mr Watson added: “Clearly, the trust needs a proportion of the income it generates to pay for the upkeep of its car parks and security staff but £2.1 million is a much higher figure than I would expect.”

Parking at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Hospital Trust sites is free for up to 15 minutes and £2.60 up to one hour, however,

concessionary and season tickets can also be purchased.

Halesowen and Rowley Regis MP James Morris also attacked the trust for making parking profits from patients.

He said: "These parking charges are too high and, if hospital trusts are making large profits from patients’ parking, that is plain wrong.

"The health secretary announced in August that hospitals should let relatives of seriously ill patients get free parking, but we also need lower charges for everybody using the hospital – patients and their families."

He added: "High charges aren’t only unfair on people who need to use hospitals, but in Rowley Regis we have local streets and pavements packed full with cars left by hospital users wanting to avoid the fees."

The figures reveal £1.3 million was spent by patients and staff at City Hospital, £809,121 at Sandwell Hospital and £34,089 at Rowley Regis Hospital.

A Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Hospitals Trust spokesman said: "“The car parks on Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital NHS Trust sites do not make a profit.

"All the money goes straight back into maintaining and improving parking, access and facilities services including: 24 hour security, patrols and CCTV, maintenance of car parks that are well lit and secure, ensuring enough parking spaces are available for patients and visitors who really need them, discounted parking tickets, staff shuttle buses, improving public footpaths and cycle routes and providing clear signage and road markings. We believe that NHS money should be spent on treating patients.

"If we didn’t charge for parking, money intended for patient care would have to be used to provide and maintain parking facilities on the site."