Woman arrested after saline bags 'tampered with' at hospital

A woman has been arrested as part of an investigation into saline bags being tampered with at a hospital.

Cumbria Police said the 24-year-old, from Wigton, had been held on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice and appearing to contaminate goods.

The force has been investigating after saline bags which appeared to have been tampered with were discovered by a member of staff at Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle in January.

A police spokesman said: "Police will continue to work closely with the North Cumbria University Hospitals Trust as inquiries continue into this investigation."

Security measures were stepped up at the hospital following the discovery and a spokesman for North Cumbria University Hospitals Trust said there were no indications that any patients had been adversely affected.

A trust spokeswoman confirmed the woman arrested was a member of staff at the hospital.

She said: "The trust has been working closely with the police since January 2017 when a small number of saline bags appeared to have been tampered with at the Cumberland Infirmary.

"The trust can confirm that a member of staff has been arrested in connection with the incident and we continue to support Cumbria Police with their investigation.

"It is important for the trust to reiterate that there has been no patient harm or adverse effects related to this incident."