Hospital workers are having to dash out of work at least once a day to beat a city's new traffic wardens.

Staff at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, have to move their cars during coffee breaks following the introduction of two and four-hour maximum parking limits outside.

Only top-ranking staff are given spaces in the hospital grounds.

Until July, other employees were able to park on nearby side streets.

Now residents' parking schemes have been introduced in many of the surrounding streets, workers must make do with using the two or four-hour parking bays and nip out in any spare moments to move their cars.

Medical secretary Alexandra Meaden said: "There are no free parking spaces in any of the surrounding streets and all of the spaces around the hospital are restricted to two or four hours.

"To avoid getting a ticket, the vast majority of hospital staff have to move their cars at least once during the working day.

"There is an easy solution to the present fiasco by permitting staff to display a hospital sticker and to park free in the streets during office hours."

Sharon Hunt, who works two days a week at the renal unit, is appealing against a ticket she was issued after moving her car from one two-hour spot to another nearby.

She said: "Many of my colleagues have now received two or three tickets. Hard-working citizens should not be penalised in this way.

"We are seeing people leave because of parking regulations around the hospital. This really is appalling."

A council spokeswoman said: "We can't make an exception for one group. We understand nurses and hospital staff do an important job but a lot of people do vital jobs in the city and it's impossible for us to make exceptions.

"The hospital has its own multi-storey car park and if there aren't enough places there, than there's alternative paid parking in the High Street or Madeira Drive, which is not too far away."