Incidents of vandalism and verbal abuse by a gang of youths have included insulting nursing staff, flooding hospital toilets, breaking into a contractor's office and deliberately setting a mattress on fire in a store room.

Nichola Hughes, head of intermediate care and specialist nursing for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board's (BCUHB) Central Integrated Health Community, said: ‘This senseless and anti-social behaviour has no place in or near to a hospital. Our staff are trying to care for people and it is totally unacceptable they should have to endure this. Their jobs are hard enough without having to withstand verbal abuse and criminal damage.

‘I'm urging our community to report any suspicious activity they see around Llandudno Hospital and help us to keep our community safe.'

In one incident nurses suffered verbal abuse from young people loitering around the Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) while they were tending to a patient who had become seriously ill and needed urgent transportation by emergency ambulance to an acute site.

Youths have been repeatedly entering the hospital after hours prompting managers to restrict access to the site via the MIU and the main hospital entrances only. Security staff have also been employed on out of hours patrols.

North Wales Police has been working closely with the Health Board to keep staff safe and tackle the incidences of poor behaviour on site.

The Health Board has reiterated its zero-tolerance approach towards abuse, threats, aggression and criminal damage in its hospitals and said it was committed to using the full force of the law to prevent such behaviour where appropriate.