HUNDREDS of extra car parking spaces are being made available at the Great Western Hospital.

They have been added to coincide with the opening of the new Brunel NHS Treatment Centre, which will treat 5,500 patients a year.

Yesterday bosses were officially handed the keys of the £30 million building by developer Carillion Health. It will open in April.

Bosses have been criticised in the past for a lack of parking spaces on the site.

Former Labour councillor Pete Brown aired concerns over parking even before the flagship hospital opened in 2002.

He welcomed news of the extra spaces.

"Car parking is a very important issue at Great Western Hospital," he said.

"Staff shouldn't have to spend a long time for searching for spaces and neither should patients and visitors.

"Car ownership has increased over the past few years and there needs to be the space to fit them all in.

"We knew there would be problems even before the hospital was built."

Earlier this week we revealed cabbies on mercy missions to the renal wards are being ticketed by parking wardens.

Keith Radway, the owner of Swindon Black Cabs, claims two of his drivers have received tickets in recent weeks as they struggle to find parking to drop off fares.

GWH spokeswoman Teri Stevens said pressure for spaces should now ease.

"The additional parking spaces are ready now and assistance is available to anyone who requires it," she said.