A HAMPSHIRE hospital has been ordered to fix a leaky kitchen roof by food safety inspectors.

The Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester was served a food safety enforcement notice for failing to address concerns about the roof for several months.

The leak, over an area used to wash up dishes, was first spotted last winter, a hospital spokeswoman admitted.

The Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare Trust (WEHT), which runs the hospital, spent £7,000 as a temporary measure to keep the rain out and promised to build a new roof.

But food safety officers at Winchester City Council have ruled the trust was dragging its feet and slapped an enforcement notice on it.

A spokeswoman for the trust yesterday insisted hospital food prepared in the kitchen was safe to eat and said a new roof would be in place by October.