A WARNING has been issued after youngsters were reported entering a former hospital.

Police have warned members of the public about visiting the derelict East Fortune Hospital, which has been closed for two decades.

In the past few weeks, officers have received a number of reports relating to youngsters entering the facility, with an incident on Saturday, resulting in a small fire being started, which required the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to attend.

A number of buildings at the old hospital contain asbestos, which can cause extremely serious health issues and, in some cases, could prove fatal.

In addition to the hazardous material, there are a number of missing drain covers around the site, which also present a risk to members of the public.

Inspector Andy Hill, from Haddington Police Station, said: "The buildings in the old hospital site at East Fortune present numerous risks to anyone entering the grounds without the proper authority or safety equipment.

"The site may seem a popular place for young people to gather given its relatively remote location, but it is not a safe place and I would urge all parents and guardians to remind any children in their care of this.

"There is also a risk to any police officers or our partners in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, should we be called out to this location to deal with any incidents that occur.

"Please do not risk your own safety, or the safety of others by visiting and entering the old hospital grounds."

The hospital dates back almost 100 years when several new buildings were created.

It served as a tuberculosis sanatorium for the south east region of Scotland until the onset of the Second World War.

The airfield was then brought back into use as RAF East Fortune, initially a training airfield, and the hospital patients were transferred to Bangour Hospital, near Dechmont, in West Lothian.

The hospital re-opened after the war but by 1956, as the number of tuberculosis patients began to fall, the hospital changed its function to house people with mental health issues.

Then, 20 years ago, the hospital closed for good, with the patients transferring to Roodlands Hospital, the site of the East Lothian Community Hospital, which is currently being built, in Haddington.

Last year, ambitious plans were revealed to create a new village on the site, with more than 200 jobs created and 17 commercial units.