New car parking fees are due to be introduced at St Albans City Hospital to bring in cheaper charges for short stays.

West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust announced today it would be bringing in a new staggered system that starts at £2 for one hour at its sites.

However, while starting at a cheaper rate, the new regime has increased the cost of parking over longer periods.

The decision comes after the health trust has been put under pressure from politicians in recent years to lower its £4 starting fee.

Under the current regime patients and visitors have to pay £4 for three hours parking, £6 for five or £12 for all day.

The new scheme, which will come into effect from August 1, will see charges start at £2 for one hour then £4 for up to two, £6 for three hours, £7.50 for four hours, £12 for six hours and £15 for up to 24 hours.

There is also half an hour’s free parking in selected bays and a weekly ticket costs £20.

In a statement the hospital said it was making the changes following a consultation it held over parking charges earlier this year.

Samantha Jones, the trust’s chief executive, said: "Using what patients and local people told us from the listening exercise, we have worked with our staff, staff representatives, our car parking contractor and a number of local bus providers to come up with the best possible options for future transport and car parking arrangements.

"It was clear from the listening exercise that the majority of people wanted a car parking charging structure based on an hourly rate, so we have worked with our car parking contractor, to come up with a pricing structure which is reasonably priced for those using the car parks and also covers the cost of running and maintaining the car parking facilities. This includes security and lighting."

The trust also announced today that it will start charging for its intersite bus service, which is used predominantly by staff.

The service, which had been slated to be axed, will continue to run directly between the Watford, Hemel Hempstead and St Albans hospital sites and passengers will be charged £2.00 per journey.

Passengers will be able to buy tickets to use for journeys on the intersite bus from the car parking pay and display machines on all sites.

Ms Jones added: "The depth of feeling about the need for an intersite bus service was also clearly apparent from the listening exercise, particularly from our own staff.

"We have therefore worked hard with local bus providers to come up with a service which is affordable to users and manageable within our limited resources.

"We do hope that people will fully utilise it to ensure that it continues to be financially viable. In addition, the intersite bus service helps to support our commitment to providing sustainable facilities, as well as ease the pressure on the current car parking provisions on each site.

"I’d like to thank everyone who has been involved in this complex, but very worthwhile exercise. As we said at the start of this process, there are no easy answers, but I hope we now have transport and car parking facilities which better meets the requirements of everyone who needs to use them."