Progress in push for more hospital parking places

Julia Buckley has been pushing for more parking spaces at the hospital

The MP for Shrewsbury has said talks to improve the parking situation at the town's hospital represent a "breakthrough".

Julia Buckley has campaigned to improve the number of spaces at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and has collected 1,000 signatures in a petition calling for action.

She said as a result "both the hospital and Shropshire Council are now actively working together to move the overflow car park plans forward".

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust thanked her for her ongoing work and said it was "continuing to have discussions with Shropshire Council to explore further transport options".

The hospital trust said about 7,000 people a day used the car parks on the site and that it was "committed to developing long-term, sustainable solutions that reflect the needs of our community and improve patient experience".

It introduced a park and ride service to the hospital in January, running from 06:20 until 21:25.

In July it said about 600 people a week were using the service, which costs £1 for a return journey and is free for staff.

It also said it was monitoring car parking data.