Oxford hospitals have one of the biggest money-spinning parking regimes in the country raking in £1.2m from charging patients and visitors to use their car parks.

Figures reveal that the Oxford Radcliffe NHS Trust collected £1.262m in 2004-5, which means it has the fourth highest parking revenue of any NHS trust.

The Oxford Radcliffe NHS Trust says all money raised from parking is ploughed back into services for patients and visitors.

But the figures, which show 12 hospital trusts raised more than £1m in charges, have angered users.

Frank Feeney, from Dorchester, was already angry to find out last month that disabled drivers were now being charged to use hospital car parks.

He has cancelled his next appointment at the John Radcliffe's cardiology clinic because he doesn't want to pay parking charges.

He said: "£1.2m is a particularly large sum. It may only cost a few pence a visit to park, but if you're going for a series of visits it all adds up."

Elika Saedi, spokesman for the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "We're one of the largest trusts in the country, with about 1,200 patient and visitor parking spaces split across four separate sites.

"The hospital car parks are not run as a commercial operation, and all money raised goes directly back into services for patients and visitors.

"The purpose of charging for car parking is not to make money, but primarily to ensure that adequate spaces are available for those that need them.

"By making a small charge it discourages the misuse of the car parks by those, for example, who treat the hospital car parks as a park-and- ride."

David Edwards, the trust's transport manager, said about half the revenue raised was used on running the car parks and the remainder was spent on things such as refurbishing hospital buildings.

Ms Saedi also said the trust offered free or discounted parking to several patient and visitor groups, including those who regularly attended hospital for treatment.

A new system is in place at the JR, where drivers only pay for the actual time parked. This system has been a success and will be introduced at the other three sites, according to Ms Saedi.

The first 30 minutes' parking is free and charges start at 50p for up to an hour; the next hour costs £1, and up to three hours is £2.

Prices go up £1 per hour after that.