East Lancashire hospitals have improved their cleanliness, decoration and service in the past few months to put them in he ttop rating for patient environment, a report says.

Blackburn Royal Infirmary, Accrington Victoria Hospital and Clitheroe Community Hospital are now rated as providing high standards throughout according to a government inspection.

Hyndburn MP Greg Pope, said: "I am not suprised, I visited Accrington Victoria and was very impressed by the standard of care and cleanliness."

Yesterday the government produced results from its 'clean hospitals' drive which had seen more than £300,000 pumped into local Health Trusts.

A special Patient Environment Action Team (PEAT) made visits without warning to hospitals in the autumn and earlier this year.

It used a traffic light system to grade hospitals.Those rated green provide high standards which meet the needs and expectations of patients and visitors.

A yellow rating indicates standards acceptable but could improve and a red rating shows the patient environment is considered to be unacceptable and that standards need to be raised as a priority.

Blackburn Queen's Park Hospital was rated green in both inspections. and the town's Royal Infirmary was yellow in the autumn but is now green.

Burnley General, Pendle Community Hospital and Rossendale Hospital were rated green both times.

Accrington Victoria Hospital and Clitheroe Hospital were yellow in the autumn but have now been rated green, while Richester came yellow in both inspections.

Only Ribchester Hospital in East Lancashire now falls below that standard offering just an acceptable environment to patients but that is due to close for a new hospital in Longridge.

Other hospitals used by East Lancashire patients -- the Christie Cancer Hospital in Manchester, the Chorley and South Ribble District General Hospital, the Royal Preston Hospital and Sharoe Green Hospital -- got green gradings in both inspections. Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans was pleased at the Clitheroe result but said: "Although Ribchester is to close every endeavour must be made to raise cleanliness standards there in the interim."

Nationally, the number of red hospitals has fallen from 253 to 42, yellows have risen from 297 to 368 and greens from 163 to 279.