A new 260 space car park at a major hospital is not big enough, health chiefs have ruled.

Bosses at Worthing Hospital are bidding for extra spaces at a public car park over the road in the grounds of Beach House Park.

The construction of a new children's centre and marking- out a helipad has led to the hospital losing dozens of spaces.

There are currently 80 workers on a waiting list for a staff car park pass. They are having to use the hospital's main pay-and-display car park or residential roads surrounding the hospital.

Worthing Borough Council is this week expected to agree to allow the hospital to use 25 spaces at Beach House Park, subject to negotiations over the cost of renting them.

Hospital spokesman Derek Froud said: "The best location for the new centre and the helicopter pad was as close to the main building as possible to improve efficiency.

"Unfortunately that meant some staff car parking spaces were lost. By using part of the Beach House site we will be able cut down the number of staff who currently have to use our pay-and-display car park or nearby roads.

"There is no pressure on our public car parking spaces as there is always plenty of room for visitors but something needs to be done for workers.

"Helping to reduce the number of cars parking on the street is also likely to please local residents.

"There are still negotiations to be held about costs and availability but we hope that something can be worked out."

Harry James, of Park Road, who has written to the hospital and the council several times about roads being clogged with parked cars all day, welcomed the plan.

He said: "I am fed-up with finding it impossible to park my car by my own front door because all the spaces in the road are used up by people who work at the hospital.

"It makes much more sense to use existing car parks instead."