SPECULATION over whether beds spotted stored in a warehouse at Threemilestone for a brand new Nightingale Hospital has been quashed.

The beds were seen through the open doors of the old Cornwall Farmers building on the Threemilestone Estate, now operating as the Westfield Storage Depot .

Cornish Dave tweeted the picture saying: "Inside the old Cornwall Farmers building in the Threemilestone industrial estate, one can be seen "tens" of hospital beds. The building is now Westfield's storage depot...is this the location of the equipment for Cornwall's nightingale hospital?"

But Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust said the beds had been temporarily removed by the hospital to comply with social distancing rules during the Covid pandemic.

"The beds have temporarily removed from RCH site where we have had to increase space in ward bays for social distancing," a spokesperson said.  

Currently the only NHS Nightingale hospital serving Cornwall and Devon is based in an old Homebase store in Exeter and is caring for its first patients four months after opening.

Earlier this year it was announced that Nightingale Hospital Exeter would "ensure resilience across the Devon, Cornwall and wider South West region."

NHS Devon said at the time: "Our new NHS Nightingale Hospital, which is expected to be ready for the first patients, if needed, by June, will provide a regional resource of 200 beds for Devon, Cornwall and neighbouring counties to meet the care needs for patients who are seriously unwell due to their coronavirus symptoms."