A Newcastle, UK meter maid issued a parking ticket to an ambulance driver who failed to use a designated parking spot while trying to rush a patient to urgently needed care. North East Ambulance Service drivers had received a warning letter last month that said drivers who ignored parking restrictions in front of area hospitals would be ticketed. Drivers were also scolded for neglecting to close the tailgate of their vehicle before delivering patients to the hospital.

"The rules apply to all vehicles parked inappropriately," Paul Brewis, a manager for area National Health Service hospitals, told the Newcastle Evening Chronicle newspaper. "Ambulance transport service vehicles have drop-off areas."

An anonymous ambulance worker provided a different perspective.

"Taxis are parking in ambulance bays and are not moved on," he told the Newcastle Evening Chronicle. "Ambulance personnel have been advised to drop patients off at the door and park their vehicles before taking patients to their wards."

North East Ambulance Service officials are working to resolve the parking issue.