Three senior members of staff have been suspended from duty in connection with a number of suspicious deaths at Airedale Hospital.

It is understood that the members of nursing staff have been suspended from their posts as part of a police inquiry into the deaths.

The hospital would not confirm the suspensions, but a spokesman said: "This matter is subject to a police investigation and so we are unable to comment further until the police have completed their inquiries."

Det Supt Phil Sedgwick is heading a special team in charge of the on-going investigation into suspicious patient deaths at the hospital.

Asked about the suspensions yesterday, he said he could not give details because the inquiry was still live.

The suspensions, with the staff on full pay, are understood to have followed the arrest of Ann Grigg-Booth in March last year. The high-ranking nurse at the hospital was questioned over the suspected manslaughter of a 96-year-old woman patient and the administering of morphine to patients over a two-year period.

It is believed that suspicions were aroused after medical bosses carried out a "routine audit" of deaths at the Steeton hospital.

After studying the records of the 96-year-old woman, they notified police who started a major investigation.

The number of deaths being investigated is belived to have reached double figures. Mrs Grigg-Booth, who is now thought to have moved from the area, was repeatedly questioned and bailed by police in October.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: "We cannot comment on the matter. It is up to the trust (Airedale NHS Trust) to confirm or deny the suspensions." She added: "There is an on-going police investigation into the matter and other people are being interviewed."

The spokesman confirmed that Mrs Grigg-Booth was still subject to police bail and that her file had been sent to the Crown Prosecution Service pending an inquiry.