PEOPLE wanting to leave their car for an hour at Hereford County Hospital end up paying more than anywhere else in the country, according to a national newspaper.

The Daily Mail report that the £3.50 cost is even higher than in London's Notting Hill following a Freedom of Information request.

The Hereford Times reported in December 2012 that parking at the County Hospital is more expensive than neighbouring hospitals, such as Worcester, Bristol and Cardiff.

However, because the parking on site in Hereford is managed by Wye Valley NHS Trust (WVT)’s private finance initiative (PFI) partners, there is no financial benefit to the cash strapped trust.

Motorists only get 10 minutes' free parking before it goes up to £3.50 an hour, £5 for two hours, £6 for three hours, £7 for four hours, £8 for five hours, £12 for up to nine hours and £15 for 24 hours.

The Daily Mail's report adds that the Heart of England NHS Trust in Birmingham makes the most out of car park charges in the country by raking in nearly £4million during the past year.