HEALTH Secretary Alan Milburn has ordered a fresh inspection at a hospital where a director instructed colleagues to keep Department of Health scrutineers away from a "grotty" maternity ward.

A leaked memo also called for extra cleaners, porters, receptionists and gardeners be brought in before inspectors arrived at South Tyneside Hospital in South Shields.

The inspectors, who awarded the hospital top marks for cleanliness after a visit last week, were ordered back by the Department of Health after the contents of the memo emerged.

An e-mail sent by Steve Foster, director of facilities at South Tyneside Hospital, said: "We must stay clear of maternity and all the other grotty areas and try to restrict them to the best patient areas."

On a visit to Newcastle yesterday, Darlington MP Mr Milburn said he had ordered a re-inspection, immediately on hearing of the memo.

Trust chairman, Peter Davidson, apologised for the "misunderstanding" the memo may have caused and confirmed his support for the Government's clean hospitals initiative.