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More than 30 hospital buildings in England have roofs so rotten they could collapse at any moment, ministers have admitted.

Hinchingbrooke in Cambridgeshire and Frimley Park in Surrey are among 16 hospital trusts known to have deteriorating roofs made of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

The material was used to build hospitals and schools in the 60s, 70s and 80s, but has a 30-year lifespan – which is now coming back to bite.

Some trusts are using hundreds of steel pillars to hold up their roofs and reduce the risk of them crashing down.

Hinchingbrooke has banned patients weighing more than 19 stone from surgery in two of its theatres in case they collapse through the floor.

Health minister Maria Caulfield admitted the extent of the problem, without identifying the hospitals, in a written answer to the Liberal Democrats’ Daisy Cooper.

She said surveys carried out by the NHS found 34 buildings at 16 different trusts contained RAAC, but wouldn’t say how many were sites where patients are treated.

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Tory leadership frontrunner Liz Truss mentioned the problems affecting the Queen Elizabeth hospital in her South West Norfolk constituency in a debate earlier this month.

The hospital’s chief executive Caroline Shaw compared the situation to a ‘ticking timebomb’.

She told The Sunday Times: ‘The roof is like a chocolate Aero bar – there are bubbles in the concrete and we’re checking it daily to make sure those bubbles don’t break and the roof doesn’t come down.’

A spokesperson said the Department of Health ‘has provided more than £4billion’ for trusts to improve infrastructure and maintain or refurbish their premises.

They said over £685million has been set aside to directly address the issue of crumbling RAAC roofing.

‘By 2030 we will have 40 new hospitals which will provide state-of-the-art facilities to ensure world-class provision of healthcare for NHS patients and staff by replacing outdated infrastructure,’ they added.

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