INDUSTRIAL action could soon be on the cards at the Alexandra Hospital due to a controversial move to introduce car-parking charges for staff.

The hospital's Unison department has received thousands of responses to a ballot asking staff which of two options for charges they would prefer.

Option A is based on banded charges ranging from £25-£240 a year, depending on earnings and Option B is a single annual charge of £130.

Unison branch secretary Nina Wood-Ford said hospital bosses had turned down a request for a separate box to vote for industrial action in protest at the car parking charges.

But she said many members of staff had not ticked Option A or B and instead had developed their own Option C - saying they were not going to pay.

Mrs Wood-Ford said they had negotiated "long and hard" with hospital bosses for a fair deal and to ensure staff were guaranteed a space and not one on a muddy bank or on the pavement.

She said: "We have also negotiated for more lighting and car park attendants - but I still do not agree staff should have to pay to park."

In light of the results from the ballot, which was closed on Monday, Mrs Wood-Ford said: "If enough people say they object to paying, we would take that as a third option and we would look at it again.

"We would have to call a meeting to decide what we were going to do and we would only go further if people were prepared to take industrial action. Option C would be industrial action."

A Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust spokesman said: "Charges are being introduced as hospital sites are unable to cope with the relentless increase by car users.

"We have exhausted the majority of land available for car parking and the cost of maintaining and providing new car parking is a serious drain on the trust's finances.

"The income raised from staff charges will be used to offset these costs.

"We hope the charges will encourage staff to use alternatives to the car or consider car sharing and we will continue discussions with the trade unions."