FILTHY store cupboards could be helping to spread dangerous infections around the Alexandra Hospital, according to a former health care assistant.

The man, who did not want to be named, worked for several months at the Woodrow hospital until earlier this year.

He pointed out the problems to senior members of staff but said the issue was simply ignored.

"The state of these store cupboard floors was disgusting, totally filthy. When I pointed it out to senior staff members, they didn't seem to care,'' he told the Advertiser.

"I asked what would happen if an audit were carried out and auditors looked in the cupboards. I was told, 'They'll never look in there'.''

He added: "The hospital is asking for infection to be spread. People are stepping on the filthy floors in the store cupboards, then spreading potentially dangerous bacteria wherever they walk in the hospital."

The man, who took photographs of the dirty cupboard floors, said he thought it was a matter of bad management and misspent money rather than lack of funding as the hospital could afford to provide free buffets most days to doctors and surgeons in the Post-Graduate Centre.

"I spoke to someone who works at the Alex now and they immediately mentioned the state of the cupboards - absolutely nothing has changed since I left," he added.

A Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust spokesman said: "All the waste cupboards at the Alexandra have been thoroughly cleaned in the last few days.

"It's disappointing this former employee didn't raise this problem with us as he would have discovered the trust has a long- term plan to deal with this issue.

"But we agree the picture shows a standard of cleanliness which is unacceptable in our hospitals.

"Although these cupboards are not in patient areas, we appreciate the importance of maintaining the highest possible standards throughout our hospitals."

The spokesman added: "As a trust, we have regular inspections and were recently subject to a stringent review by the Patient Environment and Action Team, which gave the Alexandra a ''Green'' (best) rating for cleanliness in patient areas."