STAFF at Worcestershire Royal Hospital are being told to get on their bikes if they want to avoid paying up to £500 a year to park at work.

An interest-free loan to buy a bicycle is just one of the options being tabled by Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust to enable staff to avoid the charges, set to start on April 1.

Despite widespread opposition, the Trust remains adamant that charging to park is the only option left in tackling traffic chaos at the Royal, Kidderminster Hospital and the Alexandra Hospital, in Redditch.

Charges for single car users will range from £20 a year for those earning less than £10,000 a year, to £250 for

those earning over £55,000 - but even then a space is not guaranteed.

Anyone wishing to guarantee a spot will have to fork out £500.

Staff are being warned anyone who fails to pay will be clamped.

Discounts and incentives are being offered for staff who find alternative transport and car sharers.

"Essential users" - those who need to use a car in the course of their work - will receive 20 per cent off.

Negotiations are under way with bus company First to offer greater discounts to hospital workers.

Motorcyclists, cyclists, resident staff and volunteers will not be charged but will be asked to park in designated areas.

Jeff Crawshaw, director of human resources at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said the Trust unanimously backed the charges.

"Despite investing around £2m in car park improvements over the last couple of years, we continue to experience extreme pressure at peak periods and further action - including the introduction of charges - is inevitable," he said.

A senior clinical worker at Kidderminster Hospital, who did not wish to be named, said: "Lack of public transport means many staff have little choice but to use their cars. Cycling is an option for relatively few."

He added that choices offered to staff had been significantly higher than those on the table today, with no charges falling below £200.

"A reasonable charge would be acceptable but the proposed charges are extortionate."