HOSPITAL patients across East Lancashire have been running the risk of infection after lying on damp and smelly mattresses, health watchdogs said today.

Inspectors checked 600 mattresses during a sweep of Burnley General Hospital, Rossendale Hospital and Pendle Community Hospital and more than 200 needed to be replaced.

Now a sweep of hospital beds at Accrington Victoria Hospital, Blackburn Royal Infirmary and Queen's Park Hospital is to take place to ensure the same problems aren't occurring there.

Bosses today admitted that virtually every mattress they checked failed at least one part of a three-part test undertaken earlier this year.

And health watchdogs reacted with horror to details of the survey, revealed to them by the Evening Telegraph, and branded the poor mattresses a real infection risk.

After the inspection, 124 mattresses were replaced immediately, with 88 replaced shortly afterwards. Hyndburn MP Greg Pope said: "I am concerned about this because mattresses are a pretty fundamental part of the hospital experience.

"Credit should go to the trust for looking into it, and I hope that action will be taken to make sure this doesn't happen again."

A report, obtained by the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, reveals that the majority of beds failed in more then one of three categories during the inspection.

Each mattress had to pass a three-point test:

That it was dry, free of odour, not too hard and had clean foam.

That the cover was waterproof and not badly stained.

That the mattress was at least five inches deep.

Dr Ruth White, director of infection control, said: "Around 600 mattresses were examined by the infection control team in conjunction with the tissue viability nurse whose role is to advise on wound care and the prevention of pressure sores.

"Those mattresses that were in poor condition were replaced immediately with a further number being earmarked for replacement over the course of the year. These mattresses were later replaced.

"Mattresses do undergo a lot of wear and tear because of the large numbers of patients being treated in hospital."

She added that, following the merger of the two hospital trusts in the area to form the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, a standard mattress audit had been drawn up which was now being rolled out in Blackburn's hospitals.

"The trust aims to ensure that patients' mattresses are clean, in good condition and part of a rolling programme of replacement.

"Further mattress audits beginning in October and November are due to take place across the trust which will allow us to assess progress."

Mollie Milnthorpe, chairman of the East Lancashire Patients Forum, said: "This is quite horrific news, because a clean bed is the very least someone should be able to expect in hospital."

"The real concern has to be what danger of infection comes with these mattresses that weren't up to standard.

"We'll be raising this with the trust when we next meet them to make sure this doesn't happen again.

"It's important all the hospitals in the trust are checked."