A PARKING ticket was slapped on a frantic dad-to-be when he rushed his pain-wracked wife – who was giving birth – into hospital.

Richard Gaunt was issued with a £35 fine as his wife Natalie entered theatre at Airedale Hospital following complications during the birth.

Despite explaining the circumstances afterwards to car park bosses, Mr Gaunt's plea for clemency was rejected.

But Airedale Hospital has now stepped in, apologising and offering a refund.

And it has pledged to review the appeals procedure in the wake of the incident.

Mr Gaunt, 29, accepted he hadn't bought a ticket on parking and could understand why a penalty was handed out in the first place by the attendant.

But he said that for the fine to be allowed to stand once he had outlined what happened was "disgraceful".

Mr Gaunt, a metallurgist at a firm in Keighley, said his wife was in severe pain and struggling to walk when she went into labour.

He added: "After arriving at the hospital I parked my car and my main priority was to get Natalie into the building to seek medical help, which resulted in me forgetting to pay and display.

"My wife ended up needing forceps and then had to go into theatre for further treatment.

"Once my wife was out of theatre I went to buy a ticket for my car, only to discover I'd been issued with a parking ticket.

"I approached the staff at Airedale, who said the car park attendant and parking situation was nothing to do with them, but that if I was to contact the company and explain what had happened they should let the ticket go.

"I wrote to the car parking company explaining what had happened, to which it just replied that the attendant was right to issue the ticket as I hadn't paid and displayed.

"My argument is that my priority then had been my wife, who was in agony. Only once she was OK was I going to purchase a ticket. No wonder so many people ring for an ambulance unnecessarily."

His wife Natalie gave birth to a boy, Joshua, who is doing well.

The child is their first.

Stacey Hunter, chief operating officer of Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, apologised to Mr Gaunt for any distress caused "by this strict adherence to our parking policy".

She added: "This is a new system which is still bedding in, and Mr Gaunt’s experience shows that we need to review our appeals procedure to make sure a situation like this doesn’t occur again.

“If Mr Gaunt would like to get in touch with our Patient Advice & Liaison Service on 01535 294019 or e-mail pals.office@anhst.nhs.uk, they will direct him to our parking team who will refund his ticket.”