A director of a North East NHS trust has refuted claims the hospital has experienced "sewage leaks" after a political party published a report into various hospitals last week.

Deepak Dwarakanath, medical director for North Tees Hospital and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust has today (February 20) rebuffed claims made in a report by the Liberal Democrat party, where they said the trust had experienced 80 "sewage leaks."

This comes after the Liberal Democrats published a report, with data obtained from FOI requests, stating there had been 456 sewage leaks in England’s hospitals.

Mr Dwarakanath has dismissed the claims regarding his trust, and has said the leaks reported on were "minor leaks" rather than major leaks of sewage.

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In a statement, he said: “I’d like to make it clear that we have not had any major leaks of sewage in our hospitals. 

“Staff have reported minor leaks, including toilets, sinks or showers, to our estates and facilities team which were swiftly repaired.

"The occasional leaking sink is an expected part of a functional and working hospital site, especially in older buildings such as ours.”

In their report, the Lib Dems received information from 55 NHS trusts across the country.

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They found the worst to be Leeds Teaching Hospital which reported 105 sewage leaks, and North Tees & Hartlepool Hospitals which reported 80 leaks.

Meanwhile, Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats said: "This is a national scandal. Our country’s hospitals are falling apart after years of underinvestment and neglect.

"Patients should not be treated in these conditions and heroic nurses should not have the indignity of mopping up foul sewage" 

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A Lib Dem spokesperson said this news followed on from their investigation which found just one in four of the new hospitals promised by the Government have planning permission. 

They said senior NHS officials are now warning the hospitals will not be built by the 2030 deadline, or worst still, not built at all.

“This Conservative Government has taken local communities for granted by yet again breaking a manifesto promise," added Ed Davey.