Four men arrested after hospital site burglary

Four men have been arrested after thousands of pounds worth of copper wiring was stolen from the construction site of a new hospital building.

Leicestershire Police said officers received a report of a suspicious vehicle within the grounds of Hinckley and District Hospital at about 00:55 GMT on Tuesday.

Two vehicles were seen at the site and suspects were captured on CCTV running away, the force added.

It said four men - aged 26, 27, 31 and 35 - were arrested on suspicion of burglary. They have all since been released on police bail pending further enquiries.

Officers said along with the copper wiring, they found a "significant amount" of damage to the site.

Sgt Fiona Day said the investigation was ongoing, adding officers were carrying out door-to-door inquiries.

She added: "It is sad that a community resource has been targeted in this way and no doubt this incident will have an impact on the ongoing work on the site."

Work on the new £10.5m day care unit started in December with asbestos being removed from the existing building ahead of its demolition.

A new building will be created at the Mount Road site in its place to deliver a wider range of clinical specialities than currently available at the hospital.

This will include breast care, general surgery, gynaecology, ophthalmology, orthopaedic surgery, pain management, plastic surgery, podiatric surgery, renal access surgery, urology and vascular surgery.

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