A HEARt scanner worth £35,000 has been stolen from a hospital.

Police believe it may have been stolen to order and could be on its way to a hospital abroad.

The monitor was taken from the Cardiology Unit at the University Hospital of North Durham, in Durham City. Staff discovered the Acusan Cypress scanner was missing on Monday morning.

The device, which weighs 8.6kg and is about the size of a portable television, produces ultrasound images of the heart.

The machine was fixed to a trolley, which was dumped in a nearby hospital waiting room.

Detectives are examining video footage from the hospital's network of cameras.

However, officers said the theft appeared to have been well-planned and suggested the scanner may be destined for a foreign hospital.

Detective Sergeant Tony Dumighan, of Durham Police, said: "Screws which held the machine on to the trolley were carefully removed before the scanner was taken.

"This is a highly specialised and expensive piece of equipment, which would be of limited value to anyone other than specialists working within a hospital or health service environment.

"Clearly, there is a possibility the scanner has been deliberately targeted and any market for resale may well be outside this country."

The scanner, which was bought only a year ago, is used daily. Although it is expected to be replaced, for now the hospital must rely on its other unit, which is significantly older, takes longer to operate and is about 20 times heavier.

A spokesman for the hospital said: "The patients will not miss out, they will still get their scans, but it is going to be incredibly inconvenient, both for patients and staff.

"Medical equipment does get stolen from time to time, but this is unusual because it is of such high value.

"This is a piece of equipment used by people with potentially serious medical conditions and it is a serious matter when something like that goes missing.

"As police have said, there might have been a strong financial motive for doing this - it's just a shame it has to have an impact on our staff and patients."

Anyone with information is asked to call 0845 6060365 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111