A FLOOD at Burnley General Hospital left a dialysis unit under three inches of water this morning.

Staff thanked firefighters for their efforts in getting services back online within hours of the leak, which was discovered when colleagues arrived for work just after 6.30am.

Hospital bosses said the flood was caused by a pipe that became disconnected at the back of one of the dialysis machines in the unit, within the hospital’s 'Phase V' area.

Firefighters were called to the incident shortly after 7am.

The crew spent three hours pumping the water out of the ward, which allowed the unit to reopen by noon.

Craig Henderson, contracts manager for East Lancashire Hospitals Trust, said: “The fire brigade put in a tremendous effort, and it was thanks to them that we were able to reopen the unit so quickly.

“The leaking pipe contained purified water, used to flush out the dialysis machines, so the clean-up was relatively simple.

“Obviously, our main concern was ensuring that our patients received the dialysis they needed, and we were pleased to be able to reassure them that they would.”