WHAT appears to be a disgusting breach of hospital hygiene rules has been criticised for potentially putting children's lives at risk.

A contract cleaner in the children's accident and emergency ward of Hillingdon Hospital in Pield Heath Road, Hillingdon, was seen wiping a mop in a bathroom sink which she had just used to clean an overflowing toilet in the same room.

She has since been suspended. John Hive, 33, of Kenwood Close, Sipson, caught the offending cleaner in the act. He said his elder son had since fallen ill, and believes the incidents could be related.

"It was shocking and made me feel physically sick," he said.

"The toilet had been out of order because it had to be cleaned. When the cleaner came all she had was a paper towel, so she was mopping up the mess with a toilet brush, and after that she held the brush under the taps of the sink to try and clean it.

"The hot water was not even on, and she did this in full view of the whole of accident and emergency, although she tried to hide it behind the door before I opened it."

Mr Hive said he reported the incident last Saturday to the supervisor on duty, but was unable to pursue the matter because he had to attend to his eight-month-old son.

The following week his fiveyear-old son fell ill with a fever, and Mr Hive is angry that the incident could be the reason for the sickness.

He said: "[My son] has been for tests today to see the cause of the illness. I just hope it is not from anything related to a hospital bug.

"I have since been told that the cleaner has been sent on a training course, but why on earth wasn't she trained properly in the first place?"

A spokesman said the trust regretted the distress caused to Mr Hive.

He added:"The trust takes the auditing of the cleaning contract very seriously and our contracted cleaners routinely under-take hourly cleaning of the toilets in the accident and emergency department.

"The cleaner concerned has been suspended pending a rigorous investigation."