A HOSPITAL trust has laid on extra parking spaces at Leighton Hospital to ease potential parking misery for patients during building works which will see one of the site's busiest car parks close.

Work has started on a £15 million project to enlarge the medical complex's Emergency Department with the formation of an Urgent Care Village.

Part of the A&E car park has been closed off this week and from the end of January most of it will be out of bounds with the exception of a small drop-off point for A&E.

Pressure on parking spaces has been an historic issue at Leighton and the closure of the ED car park will leave only surface car parks next to the Maternity Department and the hospital's main entrance available for patients entering the site from Smithy Lane.

But now additional spaces for patients to use are being provided at the Maternity Department car park, while an ongoing project to add an extra 300 staff parking spaces around the hospital site will also help ease the pressure for motorists.

A Mid Cheshire Hospitals spokesperson said: "From this Monday a section of the ED car park has closed to allow building work to progress and from the end of January, the majority of the car park will close with the exception of a small area.

"Alternative parking is available at the Main Entrance and in the Maternity car park, where additional spaces have been created

"The Trust is also currently carrying out works to create additional staff parking to increase parking capacity onsite."

The building work will see a new ED built next to the current A&E, which will enable staff to use both new and old space across an expanded floor space.

It comes after the trust secured £9m funding last autumn after bidding for a share of a £150m government pot to support A&E capacity at 25 hospitals ahead of the winter.

That funding topped up another government award made last year to upgrade A&E facilities.

Waiting areas at Leighton will be expanded and the number of treatment cubicles increased as part of the project.

The spokesperson added: "The Trust is pleased to have started development work on an exciting £15m Emergency Department build, which will be located next to its current A&E.

"The build will allow the Trust to use both new and old space to create an Urgent Care Village, bringing urgent and emergency services even closer together in a bigger and improved space."