A THINK-tank has been set up to tackle parking at Worcester's new £96m hospital - three years after residents first raised fears about the problem.

One of its first suggestions will be to try and persuade staff to walk or cycle to work instead of driving.

Other solutions put forward include creating a car-share database for staff, and the group may work with bus operators to provide new services from areas where many staff live.

The creation of the group follows continued complaints from patients, staff and visitors who are turned away from congested car parks at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital - and told to park at the old Ronkswood site or on the nearby housing estate.

Ronkswood residents are also growing increasingly frustrated as their roads are blocked with cars.

Stephen Onions, patient services manager at the new hospital, said the problem was "a joint challenge".

"It's important for us big employers to be good neighbours to those residents who live nearby," he said.

"Equally, we want to provide our staff with a choice in how they get here and, if we can provide alternatives to driving to work alone in their car, we'll be doing that as well as working to meet health targets."

Councillor Mike Layland, who represents Ronkswood residents, said they had been concerned about parking for the past three years.

He said it was impossible for 1,322 parking spaces to cope with 2,000 hospital staff, and more than 1,000 visitors and patients a day.

From October, a new bus service will run between 7am to 11pm from Dines Green to Warndon, via the hospital.

Work has already started on providing 300 extra parking spaces at the site, but they will not be complete until the end of June.

The think-tank group - with representatives from the hospital, Reality Group, South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust, Worcestershire County Council and other nearby businesses - was created this week and was due to meet today.