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Jan 2023

Last Updated: 05/01/2023

Crime

Vandals leave Harrogate hospital facing large flood repair bill

by Newsroom

| 06 Jan, 2023

Harrogate District Hospital has been left with a repair bill after vandals caused thousands of pounds’ worth of flood damage.

The perpetrators pulled away panelling behind a men’s toilet sink and ripped pipework off the wall, causing significant flooding to the antenatal department, the ground-floor corridor in the Strayside wing and several offices.

The attack was carried out in the early hours of Tuesday, December 27.

As a result, there was damage to equipment stored in the area and flooring in the departments needs to be replaced.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust estimates the clean-up and repair operation – which includes hiring equipment to dry the areas out – will cost £4,000-£6,000, which it said “could be used for patient care rather than repairing damage caused by vandals”.

A spokesperson for the trust said:

“Such anti-social behaviour is unacceptable and whilst the safety of the patients in our care was unaffected, it did cause additional work for our staff when they should be focused on patient care. Repairs also have a financial implication for our trust.

“The people responsible were recorded on a CCTV camera within our hospital and the incident was reported to the police.”