Hospital staff in Southend are set to receive a letter telling them they must apply for parking permits.

More than two-thirds of the 1,200 spaces at Southend Hospital are taken up by staff every day, leaving just 360 places for the public to park.

The lack of parking has led to chaos outside the hospital in Prittlewell Chase, with motorists even parking on the road's central reservation.

In a bid to relieve the jams, the hospital is proposing to limit on-site staff parking.

"The proposals were given board approval at the last meeting. We're now working our way through the various initiatives to implement them," said Paul Kingsmore, the hospital's director of facilities.

The hospital has not yet said how many permits are available or what criteria staff will need to meet for one.

Published Thursday October 24, 2002

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