TODAY'S revelations of the "dirty, tatty and dusty" state of some wards at East Lancashire's three big hospitals will shock everyone.

For several years the horrifying rise in cases of the potentially fatal MRSA superbug mean hygiene standards have been the focus of massive attention both nationally and locally.

And for some time East Lancashire NHS bosses have repeatedly promised to improve standards of cleanliness to minimise the risk of infections.

So it is just not good enough that patient watchdogs who paid repeat visits to Burnley General, Blackburn Royal Infirmary and Queen's Park Hospital last month were able to produce a dossier of dirty problems including cracked bath tiles and pigeon droppings on the sill of an open window.

Patient forum vice-chairman John Amos says he is disappointed that such matters had not been addressed after their last tour of the wards and adds: "I don't think standards are as they should be."

Trust boss Lynn Wissett concedes such things are unacceptable. They are.

But with the welter of warnings about the dangers of dirty wards over the past few years they should have been cleaned up months before the watchdogs arrived.