STETHOSCOPES were stolen from an operating theatre at Burnley General Hospital shortly after emergency surgery had been carried out.

That incident is one of 203 thefts from East Lancashire Hospitals in the past six years according to figures released under the Freedom of Information Act.

Other equipment stolen from Burnley General Hospital include laryngoscopes, crutches and a brand new £1,500 dental light.

Items stolen from Royal Blackburn Hospital include a toaster, £960 from a safe and an electric toothbrush.

Tim Barlow, security manager at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “The trust has a duty of care to everyone who presents at any of our hospitals requiring medical attention, and hundreds of people visit our sites every day.

“The nature of our work presents us with a number of security risks, and the trust has robust security policies which reflect this.

“CCTV is in operation at our sites, and staff are trained in adhering to and awareness of security policies as part of their annual Core Mandatory Training.

“We advise all inpatients to bring in only the minimum amount of money and to give any cash or valuables to ward staff for safe-keeping.

“All of the trust’s laptops and other remote-access computer equipment are fully encrypted to ensure no sensitive information can be accessed if an item falls into the wrong hands.”

Other items stolen included a cappuccino machine, hi-fi and hairdressing equipment, a freeview box and a Nintendo Wii.