RESIDENTS are furious over delays to a parking scheme designed to ease traffic chaos in the streets around Burnley General Hospital which have existed for 25 years.

Council bosses announced plans for the scheme almost 12 months ago - but residents are still waiting.

And their anger has been heightened because extra construction workers, hospital staff and visitors are parking in residential areas during work on the Phase Five redevelopment of Burnley General.

Work on the £30million development began earlier this year and will go on until at least 2006. The East Lancashire Hospitals Trust last year paid Burnley Council £23,000 to develop residents-only parking schemes in several of the worst affected streets.

But council bosses have only just announced plans to hold a consultation on the scheme despite making their pledge in January.

Residents in the streets covered by the scheme would be issued with permits for themselves, and to issue to visitors.

Charges for the scheme have yet to be decided, but a similar scheme already operating in Ebor Street costs £10 a year.

The proposed scheme will cover 18 residential streets and 3,500 homes.

Resident Tony Taggart, 47, of Fleetwood Road, said: "People parking in the streets around the hospital has been a problem for years.

"People double-park on the streets and are often so far on the pavement that people trying to pass with prams or wheelchairs have real problems."

Coun Paula Riley, who lives in Briercliffe Road and whose Lanehead ward is affected by the parking problems, said: "This has been a major problem for 25 years. I am happy to see a start has been made with the consultation.

"Everyone I have spoken to who has visited the hospital has had problems parking at some stage.

"It is appalling and I hope that this time a solution can be delivered."

A Burnley Council spokesman said: "Consultants have drawn up a residents-only parking scheme for the area which we have done further work on and we now have a finalised scheme.

"We are consulting with ward councillors and the relevant executive member.

"We will be taking the scheme to a public meeting with residents and we are hoping that will take place next month.

"If we get a positive response from residents we can get on with making the relevant traffic orders and get the scheme implemented.

"Implementing a residents-only parking scheme is a lengthy process. We understand residents' frustration at the parking situation around the hospital.

"The council is working as quickly as possible to solve the situation."

The new hospital will replace the wards and departments in the original workhouse buildings which date from about 1860 and will include a renal unit, 170-bed in-patients ward and a new pharmacy.