THE closure of Worcester’s park and ride service has hit hospital staff in the city.

The Worcestershire County Council-run service was stopped in September after it was revealed it was costing the taxpayer £3,000 a month.

Although a service from the Sixways stadium, which is run by the council and commissioned by the organisation running Worcestershire Royal Hospital, is still in operation, it has been revealed some staff at the site – where parking is often at a premium – had been finding it more difficult to get to work since the closure.

Speaking at a meeting of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust – the organisation running the Royal as well as Kidderminster Hospital and Redditch’s Alexandra Hospital – on Wednesday, November 26, chairman Harry Turner said parking had long been a problem for staff and the closure of the service had only made things worse.

“There are still examples where staff are frustrated by car parking, which has been exacerbated by the removal of the park and ride,” he said.

The county council made the decision to close the service – which opened in 2001 – after usage fell from a high of 450,000 people in 2008 to 274,935 last year as part of a £1.6 million series of cuts to public transport.