Airedale NHS Trust has revealed it has no plans to increase fees for car parking.

The news was revealed as hospital car parking charges came under fire after new data revealed widespread increases.

Hospitals in England collect millions of pounds every year from parking, which is free for most people in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.

Data supplied by 197 hospital and mental health trusts found while some have decreased prices, 28 per cent have upped charges, some by more than 100 per cent.

The figures, analysed by data company SSentif, are provided to the NHS Information Centre by NHS trusts.

Only 16 per cent of trusts reduced their average hourly parking charge for patients and visitors, with 54 per cent making no concession and 28 per cent increasing their charges.

A spokesman for Airedale NHS Foundation Trust said it charged £2.50 for up to two hours, £3 for two to four hours and £3.50 for four to 24 hours.These rates were introduced in 2008 and there were no plans for an increase.

A spokesman added: “Parking for blue badge holders (whether parked in a disabled space or another general parking space), visitors of patients on our intensive care unit or parents of babies on our special care baby unit is free. The hospital also offers a range of concessionary parking charges for relatives of patients who are in hospital for more than a week and patients who attend regularly for treatment, such as patients with cancer.”

All money made from car parking is used to pay for the upkeep of the car park and security.

In September 2010, the Government announced it would not back a pledge made by Labour to scrap car parking charges in England’s hospitals, saying the plan could not be justified. NHS trusts make more than £100 million a year from charging patients and visitors, although the Department of Health has stopped collecting the figures centrally.

Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients’ Association, said: “Hospitals should be properly support-ed by the Government and should not have to rely on charging patients and visitors to park to make ends meet.Charges make a mockery of a service supposed to be free.”