A PATIENT who escaped from a secure ward in a new £20m North-East mental hospital said he did it to prove a point.

Speaking to The Northern Echo last night, the 57-year-old man said he wanted to show how easy it was to escape from the Cedar ward at West Park Hospital, Darlington.

An investigation into the incident has been ordered after the man managed to prise open a locked window and walk to a pub for a drink.

The man, a schizophrenic who was detained after being sectioned under the Mental Health Act, spent half an hour in the Traveller's Rest pub where he drank a glass of wine.

The patient, who The Northern Echo has chosen not to name, then telephoned police to tell them where he was, after which he was returned to the hospital.

The man said last night: "It was a light-hearted foray to highlight the possibility of escaping.

"I went for a glass of wine in Cockerton at The Traveller's Rest. I did ask the police for a lift back and we all had a good laugh about it."

He said he hoped his escape would not damage the reputation of the hospital, which has been hailed across the country as an example of good practice.

"It's an excellent hospital, as are the majority of psychiatric hospitals in the North-East of England," said the man.

Health officials said security at West Park Hospital had been tightened as a result of the incident.

The unit houses patients with some of the most severe mental illnesses and considered to be at risk of harming themselves or others.

The ward replaced the Tony White unit, in County Hospital, Durham.