MORE than £30,000 has been spent on tackling pests at Warrington and Halton Hospital over the last three years.

This figure has been shared following a Freedom of Information request made by the Liberal Democrats in a bid to reveal the extent of pests roaming NHS hospitals.

The data shows the number of reports of pests made each year since 2021 by Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WHH).

At both hospitals, 16 reports were made in 2021/2022, while 16 were also made in 2022/2023. In 2023/2024, 10 were made.

The Freedom on Information request also revealed that over this three-year period, £23,064 was spent by the trust on pest control.

A spokesperson for WHH said that it has robust pest prevention and control processes in place, and that it has a ‘rigorous procedure’ to respond to pest reports.

They told the Warrington Guardian: “At Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals we have robust pest prevention and control processes in operation to maintain a safe and healthy environment for our patients and staff.

“We take a proactive approach to ensure high standards of cleanliness are adhered to at all times and have a contractor in place to conduct regular inspections at both Warrington and Halton sites.

“For any sightings reported across the trust we have a rigorous procedure to respond promptly and manage this in an appropriate manner to reduce the impact on staff and patients.”