Waste bins filled with used bandages, swabs and wipes are being placed about three metres away from a hospital ward with seriously ill heart patients.

The decision by managers at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton to move bins which contain clinical waste to a different part of the hospital grounds has been criticised by staff and patients.

They say the hot weather is attracting flies to the bins and patients are at risk of infection.

Staff also say patients will be disturbed by the noise and disruption as the bins are emptied and filled.

The trust which runs the hospital says the move is temporary while building work is done on a research unit and a children's hospital. The bins will be in place for a couple of months.

It says the waste is sealed in tagged plastic bags and put in a locked bin so there is no risk of infection.

Workers have contacted The Argus to complain about the changes.

One said: "Staff on the ward have to keep the windows shut because they are worried about flies.

"A lot of people are unhappy about this. They can understand why the bins had to be moved but not why they are so close to a ward."

John Hopkins, who lives in Turton Close behind the hospital in Eastern Road, can see the bins when he looks out of his balcony.

He said: "It is irritating and not particularly pleasant to be confronted with bins when you look out.

"We have already lost a lot of our view because of the new children's hospital being built and this is just another problem to have to put up with."

A spokeswoman for the trust said the bins had been moved to the new location as part of works to build the new children's hospital.

She said the decision to move them was only taken after a full risk assessment was carried out.

The spokeswoman said the trust was aware of the concerns of staff but it was inevitable there would be a period of disruption caused by the building of the new children's hospital and clinical investigations unit.

Lee Soden, director of facilities and capital development, said: "When any building work takes place in a working environment it can cause disruption.

"In order to have a new children's hospital and clinical investigations unit, we need to make short-term changes to how we operate.

"Before we do this, patient safety and infection control are our first priority. We ask our staff and patients to bear with us."