THE opening of a new £100m hospital in Cumbria has been delayed after a major fire overnight.

At 10pm last night firefighters were called to a report of a fire at the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven.

The blaze destroyed the biomass fuel plant - the building which would have supplied the hospital's power.

North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust said all services will continue to run as normal but added there will be a knock on effect for the planned move in date in April. 

There are no reports of any injuries and the hospital was not evacuated.

The area's MP said it was 'utterly devastating news for patients and staff alike'.

"So many people have worked so hard for almost a decade to deliver this project and to face this delay on the eve of its opening is a bitter pill to swallow," said Copeland MP and Shadow Health Minister Jamie Reed.

“In West Cumbria, resilience is our hallmark. A delay to the opening is now inevitable but I have today written to the Department of Health, the Trust Development Authority, NHS England and the Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service to ensure the following:

That the cause of this fire is identified as quickly as possible
That all necessary money is identified to replace the energy centre without delay
That this replacement is not held up by any legal or contractual issues
That business as usual continues at the West Cumberland Hospital prior to the new hospital being opened – however long this takes
That the Trust is given all necessary resources to ensure that unavoidable and additional operational costs do not have to be found from existing budgets

“Additionally, I am seeking discussions with Monitor and the Care Quality Commission to determine what this event will now mean for ongoing inspections and the special measures regime.

“It’s now imperative that everyone involved with our local health economy pulls together in the same direction to ensure that the opening of the new West Cumberland Hospital and the transfer of staff and clinical services is achieved as quickly as possible. 

"This is a sickening disappointment for the whole community; but the new hospital will open, we will get there.”

At the height of the blaze there were five fire engines at the scene.

Just after 2am this morning crews left the scene although a fire investigation will be taking place later.