Mentally ill patients in Airedale are being treated on "dilapidated and unsafe" wards, according to a new report.

The Mental Health Act Commission, a body set up to safeguard the interests of mental health patients, says a culture of attempted suicide by hanging had grown up on one of the wards at Airedale General Hospital

Patients on both wards four and 11 at the hospital in Steeton, near Keighley, had attempted to hang themselves on the ward.

The report says: "All the window catches present a potential risk as ligature points. Some curtains are held up with curtain wire. A number of incidents were noted in the nursing notes where patients have attempted hanging. Indeed, on ward four there would appear to be something of a culture developing of attempted asphyxiation."

The disturbing findings are contained in a report published following an unannounced visit to the hospital on August 2.

Commissioners found patients were being placed in seclusion for reasons which did not comply with the hospital's seclusion policy. These included threatening to leave wards or appearing to be suicidal.

The report comes as Airedale Primary Care Trust prepares to launch a formal three-month public consultation on the future of adult mental health wards in Airedale.

Options being considered include moving services away from the hospital. Full options will be presented to meetings of Airedale Primary Care Trust and Bradford District Care Trust, on Tuesday.

John Godward, chief officer of Airedale Community Health Council, has raised a number of concerns about the wards following five suicides in 12 months on nearby railway lines.

A spokesman for Bradford District Care Trust, which took over management of the unit in April, said a £250,000 improvement programme was now under way.

When the care trust took over responsibility, it identified areas for improvement which aimed to enhance patient care and safety, including a new senior manager on site.