Wild deer run through hospital corridor

Two male fallow deer, like those pictures, were spotted running through the hospital corridor

Two deer entered a hospital and were filmed running down a corridor.

The fallow bucks were seen in Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, in the early hours of Monday.

A Plymouth deer expert said the animals, said to have weighed about 100kg (15st 10lb) each, could have posed a safety risk.

A spokesperson for the hospital said the deer were inside the building for three minutes and did not come into contact with any patients.

The animals were spotted on level five of the hospital.

The spokesperson said they did not enter the clinical areas or the wards.

"The deer accessed via a door that had been left open and we would remind staff and visitors to please close doors behind them and not to feed the deer as they are wild animals and shouldn’t be encouraged within a busy hospital setting," the spokesperson said.

The hospital would be increasing security patrols, they added.

Paul James, who runs social media account Plymouth Deer, said the deer population in the city had swelled in recent years and he had seen behaviour changes as a result.

"Fallow deer should be wild and running away from human activity," he said.

"When you have a 100kg male buck in a ward of a hospital you have a safety issue, especially when they are rutting, which they will in a matter of weeks - they are dangerous."