THE money raked in from car parking fees by the trust that runs Worcestershire's hospitals is about £300,000 more than patients and visitors were led to believe.

The Worcester News revealed last April that Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust made £995,000 in 2005/06 from patients and visitors paying to park.

But new figures for the same period, released yesterday by the Estates Return Information Collection (ERIC), revealed the real figure was £1,296,307 - £301,307 more than the original amount.

Richard Haynes, communications manager at the trust, said the original figure was given in good faith but was subsequently amended to just over £1.1 million.

Mr Haynes said: "The reason for the ERIC figures being higher than that is that they also include money from staff parking as well, which comes to just over £170,000."

The amendments mean the money taken by Worcestershire Royal Hospital was £605,000, the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch took £378,000 and Kidderminster Hospital took £125,000. Health bosses say the trust makes no significant profit from the charges, with the cash just covering the costs of developing and maintaining the car parks.

But patients and visitors maintain the trust is preying on the vulnerable who have no choice but to travel to hospital by car and pay the costs. Jon Rayner, Worcestershire fund- raising manager of cancer charity Macmillan, said: "Patients who are affected by cancer and their families can end up paying a fortune because they are at the hospital regularly. Essentially, they are being taxed twice."

Pat Fisher, chairman of the trust's patient and public involvement forum, said: "I don't agree with having to pay to park when you are visiting the sick.

"In the last year we have campaigned for the hospitals to put up signs detailing parking concessions, which it has done, along with signs explaining that you can park there free for 30 minutes."