BLUE badge holders will have to pay for parking at East Lancashire hospitals from next week.

From May 1, all hospitals in the region will charge disabled people the same to park as anyone else.

The new Blue Badge charging system, introduced by East Lancashire Hospitals Trust, will apply at Burnley General Teaching Hospital, Pendle Community Hospital, Clitheroe Community Hospital, Accrington Victoria Community Hospital and Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital.

“The decision to implement this change was not taken lightly and means that, from May 1, all patients and visitors – including Blue Badge holders - will pay the same rate,” said ELHT divisional general manager for estates and facilities, James Maguire.

Trust bosses say any extra cash from Blue Badge parking charges will be reinvested to improve patient care.

Visitors will be charged £1.90 for up to three hours and £3.50 for between eight and 24 hours.

Russ McLean, from the East Lancashire Patient Voices Group, said they had been contacted by patients unhappy at the move.

He said the group could not endorse the decision to charge blue badge holders but understood why they were being introduced.

Mr McLean said: "Hospital car park charging is an emotive issue and in an ideal world there should be free parking for everyone at all hospitals - as indeed there is in certain areas of the UK.

"The PVG feels that disabled drivers should and can reasonably expect to be able to park closer to an entrance and the trust appears to have complied with this expectation.

"We are conscious that ELHT has one of the lowest car parking charges in England and we would implore the trust to keep any charges to an absolute minimum.

"We would respectfully remind them that in Pennine Lancashire we have a huge number of areas of social and financial deprivation and a higher than average number of elderly and frail patients."

Earlier this week, the trust opened a new 500-space car park at Royal Blackburn Hospital.

ELHT had estimated it was short of around 250 car parking spaces at the site, a figure which is expected to rise as the hospital delivers more services.

The car park project was a joint partnership between Blackburn with Darwen Council and the trust.

The 500-space car park will be run by ELHT on behalf of the council.