FRUSTRATED residents united at Liden Library today to discuss solutions to stop hospital employees using their street as a car park.

Home-owners in the Sedgebrook area of Liden claim Great Western Hospital employees are parking their cars in the street to avoid parking charges at the hospital.

Despite a petition, meetings with senior trust staff and reports to the police, the residents say the drivers are still parking in Sedgebrook as well as surrounding streets- and they want to put a stop to it once and for all.

The residents, joined by Liden, Eldene and Park South councillor Derique Montaut, met Philip Martlew, Swindon Borough Council’s service manager for transport planning and traffic management, who outlined a series of parking options.

Double yellow lines and the introduction of residents only parking were suggested as possible solutions.

Sedgebrook resident Mick Norris said visitors to the hospital as well as staff were using the Liden roads as a free alternative to the GWH carpark.

He said: “I can cope with that but what I can’t cope with is the constant parking they all do on a daily basis.

"All I want is to be able to park outside my own home. That shouldn’t be an issue and nothing has changed in years.”

HR consultant Mick said, despite advice from the hospital to their employees, staff remain undeterred in their choice of parking space.

Coun Montaut said: “It has escalated and what’s important to me is that the problem isn’t solved only for the cars to move elsewhere and another street to have to go through this. We want to stop the impact of this.

The most favoured solution was the addition of limited waiting, single yellow lines with a two hour prohibition of parking.

Residents have asked for this ban to be in place between 10am and 2pm.

Mick said: “It won’t cost us anything and it will solve the problem. I don’t have a problem with taking those cars off the street at those times. That seems like the most likely solution and the one most residents would be comfortable with.”

Details such as the streets covered, cost, and time-frames will need to be ironed out by the council.

There were also calls for the hospital to build new car parking spaces to accommodate its workforce.

A Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said:“We have met with the residents of Sedgebrook on several occasions to discuss their concerns, however the trust has no power when it comes to tax-paying motorists leaving their cars on public roads.”

In July 2015 parking charges for staff at the Great Western Hospital were increased by 50 per cent to £1.50 while night workers who were previously exempt from charges between 7pm to 7am also began to pay.

Despite Great Western Hospital saying at the time the charges were implemented to fund an expansion of the car park, there are no plans to discontinue charges now 400 new spaces are in operation.