Westmorland General Hospital at Kendal.

The bottles of nitrous oxide gas were taken sometime overnight on June 9 after burglars forced entry into a hospital store at Westmorland General Hospital, Kendal.

It has not yet been established how many bottles were taken, but it is believed to be between three and eight.

Inspector Paul Latham said: “People might think that inhaling ‘laughing gas’ can be good fun, but it is no laughing matter.

“It can cause dizziness, hallucinations, headaches and even death through lack of oxygen.

“I’d warn anyone who may be in possession, or come into possession with this gas, to be aware of the potentially serious consequences.

“We’d also like to hear from anyone with information about the theft, or who may have been offered nitrous oxide.”