Hillingdon Hospital and Mount Vernon Hospital have raked in a mind-blowing sum of more than £800,000 combined in car park charges during the past 12 months.

Figures obtained by the Uxbridge Gazette through the Freedom of Information Act show that Hillingdon Hospital, in Pield Heath Road, Hillingdon, raised £600,000 alone through the charges.

Mount Vernon Hospital, in Rickmansworth Road, Northwood, made £213,000 and total combined figures show that since 2006 the car parking fees at the hospital added up to a gigantic £2.4million.

Terry Luckhurst, 43, of Long Lane, Hillingdon, said: "I cannot see any reason why they can justify making this amount of money from the public who are using a vital service, sometimes just to stay alive.

"Parking at hospitals should be free, just like it is in Scotland."

Parking prices at the Hillingdon Hospital can reach as much as £16 for a 24 hour stay.

Harry Dixon, 75, of Uxbridge, a former Wing Commander with the RAF, insisted the sky-high prices were not the only problem; the biggest challenge was finding a parking space.

He said: "Parking is a disgrace at Hillingdon Hospital, a lot of people are taking taxis because they can't find a parking space.

"How much more revenue are they missing out on by not having enough parking spaces?

"They should shut down Hillingdon and rebuild a new hospital at RAF Uxbridge."

Sue Batty, director of estates and facilities, said: "Like the majority of hospital trusts we do charge for car parking at our hospitals.

"However, when compared to other Trusts within a 10-mile radius, our charges are lower than average.

"We also run our own car parks and employ our own car parking attendants. Therefore income from car parking charges is used to improve the maintenance of the car park and employ staff to assist our patients in relation to car parking.

"A significant amount of money is also used to improve our car parks every year, with new developments such as 20-minute waiting bays and drop-off points.

"Further work is ongoing to improve car parking for our patients, visitors and staff."