CAR parking prices for visitors at Warrington Hospital have increased.

The tariffs have increased by 50 pence, meaning up to two hours at the Lovely Lane site now costs visitors £3, while up to four hours is £4, up to six hours is £5.50 and up to 24 hours is £6.50.

However, the first 40 minutes is now free – which is up from 30 minutes prior to the price increase.

The Warrington Guardian contacted Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust about the rise, to which a spokesperson confirmed came into place in April.

They said: “In April 2024, we invested in the upgrading of our car parking payment machines and revised our parking concessions and tariffs.

“We extended the free parking period to 40 minutes, up from 30 minutes, and the investment in new payment machines has resulted in significantly fewer penalty charge notices being issued. In April, our parking tariffs increased by 50 pence, the first increase at our hospitals since 2016.”

It is understood the increase was not formally announced, although new signage was put up when the new machines were introduced. And the website was updated with the new costs at the time.

A trust spokesperson added: “We recognise that parking at Warrington Hospital can sometimes be frustrating.

“We aim to continue making improvements where we can and address some of the most common issues that patients and visitors report when parking on our sites.”