Heathrow Airport workers have been "in tears" over a huge parking price hike set to take place in the New Year.

According to GMB Union, a 200 per cent hike in car parking charges is to hit workers hard in 2024.

GMB members working for third-party contractors at the airport have been told their monthly parking tariffs will rocket from £27.19 to £81.05 per month on January 1 – an increase of 198 per cent.

The price hike is expected to hit at least 1,000 low-paid workers.

One worker, who asked not to be named, phoned GMB in tears and said: "Going to work by car at Heathrow will become too expensive.

“I do unsociable shifts so alternative transport is not an option, plus I have to drop my children off at my parents’ house before I start my shifts.

“This is just so unfair to raise the staff car parking charges this high.”

Perry Phillips, GMB Regional Organiser, said: “GMB has been inundated with calls from worried members who have been told that their staff car parking tariffs will treble.

“They’re going to end up in financial trouble just for going to work – it’s outrageous.

“We’ve written to Heathrow senior management asking for their rationale.

“Why have excessively raised the staff parking tariffs for these low-paid workers?

“This will create great hardship for many workers and their families especially being told just before Christmas – Heathrow must urgently reconsider.”

A Heathrow spokesperson said: “The colleague car parking price is an Other Regulated Charge mandated by the CAA and does not generate any profit for Heathrow.

"It covers the cost of operating the facility only, including the colleague bus fleet, fuel, maintenance, and a share of fixed costs.

"Outstanding fixed costs from 2022/2023, provision of significant ULEZ parking mitigations for Team Heathrow colleagues, and the CAA H7 settlement have resulted in increased colleague parking prices for 2024.

"To support colleagues, we invest millions of pounds each year into providing reliable and affordable public transport options, such as buses and coaches, for all Team Heathrow colleagues.

"While prices have increased for 2024, tariffs were artificially low in 2023 due to an over recovery of funds in 2022 and the underlying price broadly reflects the impact of inflation since 2019.”