A BIRTHING centre in Taunton was forced to temporarily close after a rat was spotted inside the building.
Bracken Birthing Centre at Musgrove Park Hospital was closed for 48 hours while 'remedial work' was carried out.
A Somerset NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said services were temporarily relocated to alternative maternity areas while pest control teams undertook a "thorough inspection of the area".
The spokesperson said all other areas of the maternity unit at Musgrove Park Hospital are unaffected.
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The trust said: "There was a sighting of a rat within Bracken Birthing Centre and, as a precautionary measure, the unit was temporarily closed while remedial work was carried out.
"During this time, additional control measures were immediately put in place, and our estates and pest control teams undertook a thorough inspection of the area.
"They completed work to seal potential entry points and carried out a deep clean of the unit.
"Women and birthing people continued to receive appropriate care throughout this period, with services temporarily relocated to alternative maternity areas within the unit.
"The birthing centre reopened after 48 hours, once we were satisfied there was no further rat presence within the building.
"All other areas of the maternity unit at Musgrove Park Hospital were unaffected."
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