Kate Matthews, a 36-year-old woman who has been critically ill in Hull Royal Infirmary since March, was issued £400 in parking fines despite her family having paid for valid vehicle permits. Parking operator APCOA reportedly refused to discuss the notices with her family, citing GDPR rules, because Ms Matthews was the car's registered keeper, even though she had never driven the vehicle and was too unwell to deal with the correspondence herself. The case highlights how rigid enforcement of parking rules can compound distress for families dealing with serious illness, especially when hospital visits and vehicle registration details do not align neatly with company policy.

Three penalty notices, each demanding £130 after being escalated to debt collection, were issued between 28 June and 13 August, despite the family holding receipts proving they had paid £7.20 a week for a two-vehicle permit. Ms Matthews, who has hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and was admitted with suspected intestinal failure, only learned of the fines once she began recovering. Her father, David, said hospital security staff told them wrongly issued fines were common, and although NHS Humber Health Partnership and APCOA have since apologised and cancelled the charges, they claimed the usual appeals process had not been followed — a point the family disputes.