by Simon Tulett

Parking pressures are fuelling unrest at a Dartford hospital.

Spaces at Darent Valley Hospital are so sought after that workers and visitors can sometimes queue for up to an hour to park their vehicle, one member of staff has said.

The congestion is so bad some of those heading there by car are having to find alternative places to park - which has led to more than 200 parking tickets being issued.

Increasing numbers are opting to leave their vehicles at the side of the A296 Princes Road, outside the hospital.

Although it has no double yellow lines, anyone caught parking on this stretch of road it could be hit with a £70 fine because it is classified as a clearway, where no stopping is permitted at any time.

Dartford Borough Council has confirmed it has issued approximately 250 tickets to cars parked on the road in the last three months alone - worth anything between £8,750 and £17,500.

Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, has approached the council with proposals to create more parking spaces, but a planning application has not been submitted to date, a council spokesman said.

The Private Finance Initiative (PFI) hospital's car park, managed by Meteor, has about 400 spaces and costs drivers up to £5 per day. But there are concerns these are not coping with demand from the hospital's 1,900 workers and annual intake of about 200,000 patients, not to mention their visitors.