Health chiefs are investigating how two sackfuls of powerful prescription drugs were discovered in a Bradford hospital's grounds by a patient.

The discarded drugs - with patients' confidential details on the labels - included Temazepam, known to street users as jellies or Temmies, and the toxic drug Warfarin which stops blood clotting, as well as sleeping pills, anti-depressants and anti-psychotic drugs.

The drugs were found in Lynfield Mount Hospital grounds by patient Peter Chandler, who lives in the hospital's rehabilitation unit.

Mr Chandler was searching in a skip for old pieces of wood to use for his craft hobby when he chanced upon the drugs, in two yellow clinical waste sacks. He immediately reported the find to the hospital authorities.

"I would have thought drugs like these would have been stowed somewhere in a secure room in the hospital," he said.

"My main concern is that kids walk through the hospital grounds. They use it as a short cut on their way home from school. With these drugs lying there in full view, it's worrying.''

He added: "I don't know what some of the drugs are, but I do know that Temazepam is a controlled drug. It should be kept behind lock and key at all times."

Chemist Gary Choo, spokesman for the Bradford branch of the Royal Pharmaceutical Association, said any one of the drugs, which included about 20 different types of medication, could be fatal if taken in overdose. "It's a matter of medical ethics that medicines should be disposed of in a safe way. I don't classify a skip as a safe method."

He said community pharmacists disposed of unwanted medicines in special green boxes which were collected by a specialist contractor, and taken away for incineration.

Kevin Mitchell, director of quality at the Bradford NHS Community Trust, said the matter was being treated as a serious incident and an investigation was being carried out.

"If procedures are found to have been followed in this case, clearly we will change those procedures. We are investigating and we should soon know more of the facts. I don't think it is helpful to speculate," he said.

He understood drugs were stowed in the skip while awaiting collection from a specialist contractor.

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