RATES of a deadly superbug at the Royal Bolton Hospital are the second highest in Greater Manchester.

There were 280 cases of Clostridium Difficile, an infection that can cause severe diarrhoea, from January to the end of September last year.

Only Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport had more outbreaks of the bug But bosses at the Royal Bolton insist they are doing all they can to stop the spread of the superbug and blame the high number of cases on the number of elderly patients they treat.

Heather Edwards, head of communications, said: "The Royal Bolton Hospital has a high throughput of very poorly, elderly patients who are particularly vulnerable to infections, such as Clostridium Difficilie.

"We have a number of measures in place to tackle this difficult problem including a reduction in the prescribing of antibiotics, strict hand hygiene rules, replacing the hospital's bedside curtains with some that reduce the risk of infection, and two newly-refurbished wards have additional single rooms to help isolate patients."

Cases of Clostridium Difficile, which occurs when antibiotics cause an imbalance of the normal bacteria in the gut, rose from 208 in 2004 to 297 in 2005.