HOSPITAL bosses face prosecution if they continue to flout a series of fire regulations, a safety officer has warned.

Broken rules including blocking escape routes, wedging open doors and failing to train staff have been identified by Burnley Health Trust fire safety adviser Paul Roberts.

Mr Roberts, a former fireman, also says the Trust should fine and discipline care staff who cause costly false alarms by leaving open fire doors near cooking areas, in breach of hospital rules.

And he is calling on trust directors to take legal action against anybody -- including patients -- who maliciously set off fire alarms.

The alarm is raised in Mr Roberts' annual report in which he says there was a 'staggering' and 'extremely disturbing' 65 per cent rise in fire outbreaks last year -- and warns that at least £1.5million is needed to deal with the backlog of fire precaution work at hospital sites in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale.

His report to today's meeting of the trust board shows firefighters were called to hospitals more than 100 times and there were 28 actual outbreaks of fire -- 19 of them started deliberately by mental patients or children playing with matches.

There were more than 80 false alarms -- which cost the Trust thousands of pounds in call-out charges -- five of them malicious. Fortunately, he adds, none of the fires were severe or caused significant damage.

He says the Trust was served with two notices for contravention of fire certificates during the year -- for matters which were relatively minor and easily rectified -- but is continuing to breach fire certificates, which could ultimately lead to the trust being prosecuted.

He said contraventions include storage of combustible materials on escape routes, blocking escape routes, wedging open fire doors and staff not receiving instruction and training.

Mr Roberts reports that in 1998 the Fire Authority considered Burnley General -- which accounts for the vast majority of calls-outs -- as one of the most 'problematic sites' in the county.

An action meeting was held and 10 proposals agreed by the Trust were put forward to cut unwanted fire calls, but he adds only five have so far been implemented.

Mr Roberts goes on: "It is paramount that in the coming year the Trust takes a more pro-active role in reducing unwanted calls and this drive must be led and supported by the Trust Board."

Major fire precaution work remains necessary at Rossendale Hospital's mental health building.

Despite a health authority request for all nursing homes in the area to be inspected for fire safety, about six of the 34 were not inspected.

Mr Roberts reveals £250,000-worth of fire precaution work was necessary during the multi-million pounds refurbishment of Burnley Hospital's Edith Watson maternity unit.

He warns: "Additional work is still necessary in other parts of the building where there was either insufficient funding and/or inadequate policing of the work."