Parking warden slaps ticket on funeral car as driver went into hospital to load body into a nearby hearse

A PARKING warden allegedly slapped a funeral car with a ticket as the driver went to "help load a body" into the accompanying hearse.

George Portsmouth, 30, was visiting North Cumbria University Hospital in Carlisle, Cumbria, when he captured the unfolding incident on his camera.

Despite watching the cortege car accompany the hearse into the hospital grounds, George claims the attendant waited for both drivers to disappear inside the building before doing the deed.

Shockingly, George then says the UK Parking Control (UKPC) warden RAN AWAY after he placed a ticket on the window so he couldn't be confronted.

Pictures seem to show the cortege driver, who George believes was a fellow undertaker, return to find the ticket and show it to the hearse driver in disbelief.

The UKPC warden's actions have been slammed as "unbelievable", "absolutely disgusting" and "cowardly" on social media.

HGV driver George said: “I saw the warden was watching what they were doing and the second they went inside he rushed and put the ticket on the cortege car and ran off.

“He wasn’t walking, he was running. He’s seen them come in and waited until they were out of sight before he ticketed them.

“He must have known what they were doing. Some of these car parking wardens can be quite ruthless and careless. It was bad form.”

The funeral car was accompanying a hearse and both vehicles had originally parked close to the hospital building at 2:00pm on Monday.

However, George says the smartly-dressed undertaker then decided to move the car a few metres away from the hearse before both drivers walked into the hospital.

A UKPC warden had been inspecting vehicles in the hospital car park before the two funeral cars arrived.

George claims the parking warden watched the two cars park and the drivers disappear inside the building before he placed a ticket on the window of the cortege car.

The warden, from UK Parking Control (UKPC), stuck the bright yellow ticket on the windscreen of the cortege car and took a picture of the number plate, before allegedly fleeing.

George claims that when the ‘undertaker’ returned around 10 minutes later, he saw the ticket and looked at it in disbelief.

The man then walked over and showed it to the hearse driver and the shocked pair discussed the ticket before they both drove off.

The North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust claim they were forced ask UKPC to investigate and as a result the ticket has now been rescinded.

A spokesperson for North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust said: “As soon as we were alerted to this situation we asked UKPC to investigate and the parking charge was quickly rescinded as a result.”

UKPC admitted that some 'rogue' staff had been falsifying tickets in 2015 and they were suspended from the DVLA this year over alleged 'data misuse'.

UKPC have been contacted for comment.