BOSSES at Bury's Fairfield General Hospital have warned would-be fundraisers about conmen who are urging people to raise money for the special care baby unit.

A number of people contacted the Rochdale Old Road hospital after they received phone calls asking them to collect money in boxes provided by the caller, and then to send a cheque for the total amount to him.

In each case, the caller hung up when people became suspicious and asked for more details.

The hospital has confirmed that the special care baby unit team has no knowledge of the collection, and has contacted police.

A spokesman for the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which is responsible for Fairfield Hospital, said: "We would advise people to have nothing to do with these calls.

"Lots of residents help us with fundraising, but it's always through proper channels. If this is an attempt to con people by exploiting both their goodwill and the work done by the special care baby unit, then it is absolutely beneath contempt -- a particularly despicable and ham-fisted act."

Anyone who receives any suspicious calls, or who has information about the collection, should contact the hospital's counter-fraud team on 0161 778 5534.