ANTS, rats, fleas and cockroaches were just some of the pests found in local hospitals run by the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust over the last two years.

The Trust, which runs Fairfield General Hospital, had the fourth highest number of call-outs to pest control firms between January 2006 and April 2008 of NHS Trusts surveyed across the country.

The Trust called out pest control firms 855 times – an average of almost eight call-outs per hospital each month.

But the Trust defended the figure, saying it was one of the biggest Trusts in the country. In addition to Fairfield, the Trust also runs Rochdale Infirmary, North Manchester Hospital and the Royal Oldham.

Other pests found at the Trust’s four hospitals included mice, wasps, beetles and biting insects. Figures were not available to show which pests were found in each hospital.

The information about infestations was released through a freedom of information request by the Conservative Party, which asked NHS Trusts to list how many times pest control companies had been called out and what the animal or insect was causing the infestation.

A spokesperson for the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust denied there was a problem with insects and vermin in their hospitals.

He said: “We do not have a pest problem and indeed the aggressive approach we take whenever concerns are raised prevents this.

“We carry out regular environment inspections on all our hospital sites to identify potential problem areas, and we take pest control and eradication very seriously."