THE disabled parking situation at Altrincham's new £17m hospital has come under fire from concerned residents.

Health chiefs have defended the disabled parking provision, which is made up of a number of spaces below the Railway Street hospital which can be pre-booked.

But some Messenger readers claim that the needs of disabled patients have not been adequately addressed.

John Thompson, of Timperley, believes the fact there are spaces on town centre car parks does not help disabled people.

He said: "I appreciate there is ample public parking at the Regent Road car park and the Denmark Street multi-storey and, dare I say it, Sainsbury's.

"But, to a patient with impaired mobility, none of these is an adequate solution."

A Hale resident, whose husband regularly attends a ‘warfarin’ clinic, said: "Lots of elderly people attend the warfarin clinic. where are they supposed to park as well as the people attending all the other clinics?

"There are disabled people who can't walk far. What are they supposed to do?

“I don’t understand whey they didn’t cater for disabled people more when they built the new hospital.”

She said when they attended the old hospital they could use on-street parking spaces.

A spokesperson for Central Manchester University Hospitals Foundation Trust - which runs the hospital - said: “There are a minimum of three disabled car parking spaces provided at any one time below the new Altrincham Hospital.

"Alternative disabled car parking is also provided on Regent Road, adjacent to the hospital.

"Disabled patients can secure an underground car parking space in advance by notifying the hospital prior to their appointment.”

The trust also said there are three drop off zones near to the hospital entrance, one for patients, one for ambulances and a third one for loading.

The hospital opened on April 27, replacing the Victorian hospital on Market Street that had served the town for 145 years.