By SUZANNE ELSWORTH

CONCERNS have been raised over escape routes at night from Warrington Hospital.

Dr Michael Madden, of Appleton, took his wife Christine to the accident and emergency department when it was thought that she had food stuck in her throat.

While his wife endured a lengthy wait into the night to see medics and have two x-rays taken, Dr Madden headed outside to put more money into the car park meter but found that his way was blocked by locked doors.

"I ran straight into what I thought were automatic doors," he said.

"I then discovered they were locked at night to keep vandals out, but even the security guard didn't seem to know how to get out. What if there was a fire? The nearest open door was quite a way away."

In a statement, a hospital spokesman told the Guardian that to comply with health and safety regulations, the doors to the new main entrance are locked between 10pm and 6am.

The only public access once visiting hours are over is via the accident and emergency department. This procedure was put in place when the old main entrance was in use.

In the event of an emergency, the main entrance doors can be opened manually.

Mike Atkinson, the trust's non-clinical services manager, said: "We will be putting up additional signs to explain the procedure at night, aimed at reassuring people that they will be able to get in and out of the hospital quickly if necessary."