OPERATIONS at a North-East hospital had to be cancelled after workmen disturbed pipes providing oxygen to wards and operating theatres, it emerged this week.

Patients about to undergo surgery at Shotley Bridge Hospital, County Durham, were told that their operations would have to be rescheduled because oxygen supplies could not be guaranteed.

Health bosses were horrified to find that the pipes - believed to date back to the 1960s - had been laid only inches below the surface. It is understood that they were uncovered as kerbstones were being lifted.

Because of the potential risk to patients if the oxygen supply was cut, it was decided to suspend operations. The situation did not get back to normal until the following day.

Bill Worth, chief executive of the North Durham Health Care NHS Trust, said: "We lost five or six cases on the day, which have had to be rescheduled. Patients were not at risk, because the pipe did not actually fracture."

The disruption happened during construction work. The site is being modernised and redeveloped as part of a plan to convert the unit into a community hospital. Shotley Bridge is a centre for plastic surgery and trauma cases.

While a small number of cases were cancelled, others went ahead after bottled oxygen was deployed around the hospital. "If patients were actually in the operating theatre, we would have used bottled oxygen," said Mr Worth.

He said everyone had been surprised to find the pipes so close to the surface. "We have requested that the pipes should be relaid at a much lower depth," said Mr Worth.

It is understood that the trust is discussing the disruption of supplies with its lawyers.

In a progress report to the trust board, the project director in charge of the redevelopment said: "A claim for the trust's loss is being investigated.

"The oxygen pipe will be reprovided to regulation depth as part of the new works, to ensure the incident does not reoccur.