Hospital forced to chain toys to bed to prevent thefts Published duration 12 January 2015

image copyright Dean Beddis image caption Dean Beddis' son attempting to play with a chained toy

A hospital in south Wales has started chaining toys to children's beds in a bid to prevent them being stolen.

Newport's Royal Gwent Hospital has suffered a spate of thefts which prompted staff to use bike locks to secure toys to the side of cots.

Dean Beddis, whose two-year-old son was treated at the hospital, said it was shocking nurses were forced to resort to such measures.

The hospital said: "Unfortunately we do get toys and games taken."

Mr Beddis, from Newport, told Wales Online : "Those toys are there for kids who are seriously ill. They're provided by the hospital and people are stealing them.

"I was shocked to see that a children's toy had a bike lock on it attaching it to the cot.

"I was talking to nurses about how disgusting it was that they had to do that because they were saying people had been stealing them."

He added items such as televisions had also been stolen from the parents' waiting room in the children's ward.

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, which runs the Royal Gwent, said thefts were not a regular occurrence but they encouraged staff to lock away more expensive and popular items.

A spokesman added: "As with any large buildings open to the public we advise visitors and our own staff to be vigilant with valuables.

"Our hospitals have full CCTV coverage and security on site at all times."

In 2012, thieves stole presents including games consoles and DVD players intended for sick children at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.