Queen's toast ban

29 December 2006

Queen's Hospital

HUNGRY nurses and selfish smokers have been causing havoc at the Queen's Hospital.

The £261million hospital's ultra-sensitive smoke detectors have been regularly triggered by toast fumes and smoke from cigarettes.

Now hospital bosses have confiscated all the ward toasters!

Firefighters have been plagued by persistent calls since December 18 when the Barking, Havering and Redbridge Trust hospital in Oldchurch Park, opened to the public.

They were called four times on Wednesday, December 27, twice on Tuesday, December 26 and twice on Friday, December 22.

Hospital Director, Steve Rubery, said: "We have a very sensitive, state-of-art fire detection system and a number of unavoidable occurrences have triggered it.

"The Trust has remeoved all ward toasters, the single biggest cause of false alarms."

Smoking is banned throughout the hospital but visitors have been known to pop into the public toilets for a crafty drag which has set off the alarms.

Mr Rubery added: "The Trust continues to reinforce its no-smoking policy but some false alarms have been caused by the public smoking."

Each call has been attended by eight firefighters and two fire appliances.