HOSPITAL visitors have been urged to be vigilant after a spate of break-ins in a busy car park.

Essex Police has issued advice on how to keep vehicles safe after two people returned to their cars onMonday to discover windows had been smashed by thieves attempting to find items to steal.

They were both parked outside the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre at Basildon Hospital, in Nethermayne.

Kerry Smith, leader of Basildon’s Independent Group and ward councillor for Nethermayne, has called for security to be stepped up.

He said: “Patients, visitors, and staff are made to pay extortionate amounts to park their cars. Basildon Hospital can at least afford security guards to ensure when people come back to their cars after receiving bad news or undergoing treatment they are in the same state they left them in.”

Parking at the hospital is free for the first 30 minutes, costs £3 for up to eight hours, £6 for people parking between eight and 12 hours, and £10 for over 12 hours.

A spokesman for Essex Police, which issued guidance via its community messaging service, said: “More than half of car crime is opportunistic but by taking a few simple steps you can outsmart thieves and reduce the chances of your car being targeted.”

Hospital visitors are being urged to ensure all doors and windows are locked, and that no valuables, such as mobile phones, sat navs, and laptops, are left on display.

Basildon Hospital’s car parks, which include an £8million multi-storey, are already patrolled by its security team.

Bosses are working on plans to introduce a park and ride scheme, and Nethermayne is currently being widened in a bid to ease congestion around the busy hospital.

The hospital, which made a profit of £680,000 on parking in 2013/2014, is also considering changing tariffs to make longer stays more expensive, and reducing the amount of staff spaces, in a bid to encourage more people to use public transport where possible.