Who’d have thought that it would cost almost as much to park at a nondescript business park in High Wycombe as it does in Cambridge’s most prestigious shopping centre, Grand Arcade? That’s the dubious distinction that the office company Regus has won for its Kingsmead business park in Loudwater, High Wycombe.

I’ve been visiting regularly as I’m receiving physio from a company based there called Ascenti. The first time I was shocked to be charged £2 for parking during my 30 minute physio session. But it got worse – I was then charged an extra 25% as a service fee. So it cost £2.50 to leave my car for the 30 minutes I was receiving treatment – just 20p less than an hour’s weekday parking in Cambridge.

Regus uses a company called Your Parking Space to collect parking charges. I downloaded the Your Parking Space app in the hope that might prove cheaper – but no.

I can understand why parking is expensive in a city like London or Cambridge, where property is expensive and good public transport is available. (I recommend the Cambridge park and ride service from Madingley Road – parking is free and you just pay for the short bus ride into town.) But the Regus rip off is utterly unjustified. No wonder the car park is largely empty.

And don’t get me started on that 25% service charge. The service is parking – and I’d already paid £2 for that. What possible justification is there for Regus and Your Parking Space to add a 25% penalty on top of that?

I should add that the daily rate of £6 is more competitive.