Parking will be free on grass verges at a major Essex hospital during work on its multi-storey car park – but only when given permission by staff.

It means visitors and patients to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford could save up to £10, a cost of a full day's parking. However, that is only if staff say it is okay to park on double yellow lines when the hospital needs the extra capacity.

A spokesman for Mid and South Essex Hospital Trust, which runs Broomfield hospital, said: "Parking on the verge and staff car park is overspill for public whilst resurfacing of a section of the top deck of the public car park is underway.

"They will only be directed there by staff on the rare occasion it is full. On those rare occasions there will be no charge for overspill parking, only people directed to these overspill spaces will be able to use it."

Everyone who is not given permission needs to park in designated parking areas and pay a charge.

Lines of cars could be found parking on Friday last week on areas where parking is usually banned around the hospital site. This is due to partial resurfacing work on the top deck of the multi-storey car park.

Vistors to the car park reported cars parking next to marked spaces almost blocking the roads, and others were seen parked on double yellow lines or grass verges. The hospital trust has said parking anywhere other than a marked space will only be permitted when drivers are directed to park there by staff.

Data shows that prior to the pandemic mid-Essex hospital trust, prior to its merger with Basildon and Southend hospitals, made around £400,000 in 2017/18 from staff parking revenue.

It made £1.2m from patient and visitor parking. However last year hospital workers could celebrate after health bosses promised to keep staff parking free for several more months after their parking charges were suspended in the pandemic.

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust had wanted to reintroduce staff parking charges from August 1 , 2022 but has now said it will put the brakes on its plans and give staff a say on charges.

It comes after more than 3,000 staff at the trust, which runs hospitals in Basildon, Chelmsford and Southend, signed a petition against the charges.

Hospital workers argued the plan was effectively a tax on coming to work and would hit particularly hard during a period of rapidly rising inflation.

The resurfacing works on part of the top floor, started last week and are expected to be completed by the end of the month. If people are permitted to park for free while the work is carried out they could save on parking costs significantly.

Parking at the hospital is free for up to 30 minutes, up to two hours costs £3.10, up to three hours costs £4, up to five hours costs £5, up to six hours costs £6 and over six hours £10.

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