Staff voiced their opposition in the Bank Holiday drizzle

A �100 annual parking charge is being introduced for staff earning over �15,000 from October. Lower paid workers will face a small charge.

Under the scheme, patients and visitors will also have to pay for parking.

Hospital managers said the scheme was being introduced to ease traffic congestion at the site.

Nurses and other members of the hospital staff marched in protest outside the hospital in Monday's Bank Holiday rain, claiming the charges were effectively a wage cut.

Linda Jones-Conway: Charges are 'absolutely unbelievable'

One worker Ian Harrison said: "I think it's disgusting really that people in the workplace will have to pay to work here."

Meanwhile, patients and visitors would have to pay �1 for an hour's parking, and �5 for six hours.

Nurse Linda Jones-Conway said: "I think it's absolutely unbelievable they're charging people who live in rural areas that are inaccessible by public transport to come to hospital by car .

"They've got no other way to get to work."

Geoff Edkins, an official with the union Unison, said there was no cut-off point for the charges.

"If you're coming in for a few hours a day you're still going to be having to pay. It's just not fair. It's effectively a wage cut," he said.

"And of course if you pay that money you're still not guaranteed somewhere to park."

Bus passes

But the hospital has defended the decision to introduce the charges.

Mark Sykes from the Conwy and Denbighshire NHS Trust said: "The objective is really to reduce the number of cars coming on to the Glan Clwyd site."

Car parking charges were just one aspect of the hospital's travel plan, he added.

"We've also got a lot of positives in there including free bus passes for staff, including encouraging them to use lift sharing and improved lighting and security around the hospital car park."