A MEDIC forced to park illegally on a crammed hospital site as he tried to get to his sick patients on time has lost his court battle.

Christopher Darby claimed the John Radcliffe Hospital's 'dysfunctional' parking system left him without a space when he was needed at his medical clinic.

The consultant vascular and transplant surgeon decided his only choice was to park illegally at the site to ensure his patients were not kept waiting and could be cared for.

But Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) handed him a fine for breaching parking regulations, taking him to court after he refused to fork out his cash.

Speaking at his Oxford County Court hearing on Friday, Mr Darby said: "I do feel that the trust would expect me to go and look after my patients.

"I did not intend to park illegally. I took the least worst option for my patients. I can't believe I'm here. I did my best on the day for my employer."

The claim was brought by OUH against the consultant after he parked partly within a disabled bay and on hatched road markings on October 7, 2015.

Mr Darby lost his fight at the civil court and was ordered to hand over £50 for the parking charge, as well £6.18 in interest and £110 in court fees and fixed costs.

During the hearing, he confessed he parked unlawfully at the Headington hospital but insisted he had made a 'reasonable attempt' to find a spot.

The consultant, who also works at the Churchill Hospital, drove to the area where his permit allows him to park but found the site heaving with vehicles.

Double yellow and red lines had already been taken over by a cluster of vehicles and other drivers were also circling around hunting for a space, he said.

Revealing it was a 'great regret' he found himself at the hearing, Mr Darby said: "The service on that day was not fit for purpose. I had patients waiting at the clinic.

"My reasonable options were to go home, which would have been ridiculous, to park illegally, or to go to the park and ride, which would have led to a delay of at least an hour.

"All of that time, people would have been in the outpatients' car park and making the parking situation worse, as [patients] would not have been seen.

"I am perfectly aware there is no guarantee of parking but I would expect a reasonable prospect of parking."

The consultant went on to reveal staff face the congested site every day, with some grabbing spots in the visitors' car park and paying extra despite having a permit.

Others working at the Headley Way hospital risk being handed the fines just to make it into work on time, he said.

Mr Darby, who qualified as a consultant in 1997, added: "There are many people at the trust who are parking illegally on a daily basis or being fined just for coming to their regular everyday work.

"On our ward, many of the nurses take a fine nearly every week between them. [OUH] breached its contract in not providing a reasonable prospect of parking on the site for which they were charging me. I feel that we shouldn't have got here and I had a reasonable appeal."

Healthwatch Oxfordshire chairman George Smith said urgent action was needed to combat the daily struggle to find a parking spot at the trust's sites.

He added: "The current parking difficulties at the hospitals affect staff as much as they do patients and visitors.

"This is clearly a factor which affects recruitment and retention of staff, and is almost certainly contributing to the worryingly high level of job vacancies which exist at present in our acute hospital.

"Travel-to-work issues are very pressing, and need to be addressed in joined-up way, with hospital management, local authorities, staff, patients and visitors all involved together to find the most sensible way forward.

"I know that some initial steps are currently under consideration, but the present situation is unacceptable, and requires urgent, major action."

Acting on behalf of the trust, the court heard from Mr Richards, who refused to disclose his forename to the Oxford Mail.

Mr Darby was served with a breach of contract notice after parking illegally and was given the chance to clear his debt on 'more than one occasion', he said.

He confirmed staff working for the trust had no guarantee of a parking space, revealing the consultant's appeal was thrown out by the trust before coming to court.

Deputy District Judge Comiskey said it was 'with some regret' she found in favour of the trust, claiming Mr Darby 'very probably' made the right decision morally.

She added: "I do accept Mr Darby's evidence that parking at the hospital is very difficult for staff members, patients and others who legitimately need to be at the hospital.

"However my duty is to apply the law as I understand it to be on the facts of the case."

The Oxford Mail contacted OUH but it declined to comment.