The East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust has spent £119,199 over the last three years dealing with dozens of pest control incidents, including maggots in a mortuary and rat droppings in a corpse bag.

The NHS trust, which runs Lister Hospital in Stevenage and the New QEII Hospital in Welwyn Garden City, also tackled incidents of mice in a kitchen and silverfish insects in a doctors' mess.

The data was revealed as part of a Freedom of Information request by the Liberal Democrats to 142 NHS hospital trusts in England.

A spokesperson for the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust said: "The trust takes pest control very seriously, working closely with our expert partners on preventative measures and then resolving any issues promptly when they do occur.

"As in most large estates, pest control is an ongoing activity, and we encourage our staff, visitors and patients to report any incidents immediately, so that we can take action.

"We are sorry for any distress this has caused."