ONE of the main wards at Burnley General Hospital had to be closed yesterday after it was flooded with up to four inches of water.

Hospital bosses said the overnight flood was caused by a leak from a boiler room immediately above the main Outpatients Department.

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust said it could not yet confirm how much the damage would cost to repair.

But it said around a third of the consulting rooms had been affected, with damage to ceiling tiles and furnishings and computers. The cause is not yet known, but the freezing weather could not be ruled out.

A hospital spokesman said patients were informed as the majority of the medical, surgical, cardiology and fracture outpatient clinics due to be held were moved to other parts of the hospital.

Ruth Gildert, divisional general manager for family care, said: “Our security team did their checks around 10pm and there was no problem then. When they went back around 1.45am they found water coming from the tank room through the roof.

“There was about three or four inches of water on the floor at one point.

“We had to wait for the on-call electrician to come out and isolate the electrics in the room before we could turn the water off.”

Firefighters were called at 2.30am. They spent the next six hours working alongside staff to clear the damage, using a pump to remove the water.

John Taylor, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman, said: “They pooled water away from where it was a problem and moved equipment to salvage what they could.”

Ruth Gildert said no patients were affected and all clinics went ahead as scheduled. She said: “We have set up a temporary reception area as the IT systems need checking.

“Patient records were also unaffected as staff secured this as a matter of urgency.

“We have a plan in place for when things like this happen and it went very well.”

Val Bertenshaw, director of operations for the trust, apologised on behalf of the hospital for the disruption the flood had caused.

She said: “Thanks to a magnificent effort by our staff, working alongside the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, most of those patients will be able to have their appointments in the main outpatients clinic as normal."