By Steve Bargeton, political editor

PEST CONTROLLERS were called in to deal with bats flying around wards at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee on two separate occasions last month, The Courier can exclusively reveal.

Bats were seen on the general medical Ward 6 on September 4, and on the surgical Ward 9 five days later.

The shocking revelation is contained in a breakdown of incidents of pests over the last year in Tayside hospitals obtained under Freedom of Information legislation.

It shows that between October last year and this September pest controllers were called to NHS Tayside hospital premises on 462 occasions to deal with rats, mice, seagulls, dead birds and even a dead rabbit.

The majority of incidents involved insects including, ants, flies, cockroaches, wasps, silverfish, beetles and even hornets.

Last night Dundee-based Labour MSP Marlyn Glen said that patients and their families would find the idea of pest infestations in Tayside hospitals “utterly repellent.”

Among the incidents logged by health officials were mice in the kitchen and main dining room at Stracathro Hospital, rats in Ward 4 of Little Cairnie Hospital in Arbroath, mice in the main kitchen at Ashludie Hospital in Monifieth, rats outside the Queen Mother Wing at Arbroath Infirmary, and a bird’s nest in the personnel office at Ninewells.

There were silverfish in the food preparation area at Perth Royal Infirmary, and cockroaches in the dining room at Sunnyside in Montrose. Maggots were also found in the corridor near the kitchen at the hospital.

Between October 2008 and the end of July this year NHS Tayside spent £11,137.50 on pest control within hospital premises, including the grounds.

Last night Ms Glen said, “This will be very concerning to patients and their families.

“When someone we love goes into hospital we have a right to expect that they will be treated in clean and safe conditions.

“The idea that our hospitals are infected with mice, cockroaches and even bats is utterly repellent.

“Nicola Sturgeon (health secretary) needs to get on top of this and support staff instead of cutting budgets and piling pressure on our doctors and nurses.

“Our hospitals must be properly maintained and made fit for purpose.

“How can we have confidence that ministers will succeed in eradicating hospital superbugs such as C. difficile when they can’t deal effectively with bugs and rodents?”

NHS Tayside has a local pest control contract in place, which includes regular inspection of all premises, and pest controllers are called out to deal with outbreaks of pests as they occur.