Parking prices at Darent Valley Hospital will double a week on Monday (June 1), with the cost of a one-day stay increasing from £5 to £10.

Prices for one-hour and two-hour stays at the Dartford hospital will rise by 50p, to £1.50 and £2.50 respectively.

The cost of a six-hour stay will increase from £5.00 to £8.00.

News Shopper: Darent Valley Hospital

A Darent Valley spokesman said: “This is the first tariff increase since the hospital opened in September 2000 and takes into account the rise in the Retail Price Index next year.

“The demand for car parking space at the hospital has risen significantly.

“An extra 101 public spaces are now in use as part of the car park development, which has been entirely funded by VINCI Park.

“We will be making a formal submission to the council this year to create an upper level area over part of the existing staff car park.”

Darent Valley previously reversed their decision to triple prices for 24-hour stays to £15, after some public backlash.

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Signs advertising price increases in March were hastily removed, three days before they were due to be introduced

This was proposed as a cost-recovering method for VINCI Park, which would have been introduced on March 2.

Concessions are still available for patients who need to attend hospital regularly. The prices for stays of up to three, four and five hours remain the same.

More information here.

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