NHS staff have said they do not want to work at Blackburn’s new £21million health centre because of a lack of parking spaces.

Barbara Castle Way Health Centre houses around 250 healthcare staff working in GP practices, dentists, mental health clinics, sight and hearing clinics, physiotherapy services, a pharmacy and a family drop-in centre.

But the development, which opened last month, only has a 61-place underground car park for patients, with staff expected to use public transport or walk to work from other car parks like Fielden Street Car Park.

One health visitor who works at the centre said there had been two cases of staff being followed back to their cars at night.

She said the issue was causing problems for staff carrying equipment to work, making them late for other appointments across the borough and leaving them out of pocket.

The worker, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “They decided not to provide us with a staff car park or permits to share and they are not allowing us to claim any parking charges.

“A lot of staff feel like they don’t want to work there and it’s going to have a detrimental effect on patient treatment.”

Parking at Fielden Street Car Park costs £1.50 for two hours, rising to a maximum charge of £5 for more than eight hours.

Lancashire Police said it had not received any reports about staff being followed, but that neighbourhood officers would visit the centre to speak to staff to offer reassurance.

Tim Ellis, East Lancashire organiser for Unison, said the matter was‘a major concern’.

He said: “We have been pressing for some time for proper parking for staff at the health centre.

"There is clearly a risk to the health and safety of staff and the quality of the health service if this is not provided.

“We will be taking this up vigorously with the trust as we believe such provision is contained in all the relevant legislation.”

Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, which employs staff working within the building, released a statement in partnership with NHS Blackburn with Darwen.

It said: “None of our staff have raised any issues about parking directly with the trust.

“We do take the safety of our staff very seriously and therefore we will be working with NHS Blackburn with Darwen to ensure that any issues are resolved as they are responsible for the building.”