ONLY three out of four radiotherapy machines at a regional cancer treatment unit can be used because of staff shortages, it was revealed last night.

One of the four linear accelerators used to treat cancer patients at James Cook University Hospital is lying idle because of staff shortages.

Officials at South Tees Health Care NHS Trust said shortages had forced them to concentrate resources on three of the four machines.

The admission by the Middlesbrough-based trust, which treats cancer patients from the Tees Valley and North Yorkshire, follows a national survey which found that many UK hospitals are turning off radiotherapy machines because of staff shortages.

Similar problems were reported in Leeds, where the use of two linear accelerators was said to be down by nearly 40 per cent.

Each machine costs the NHS up to £1m and can treat up to 55 patients a day.

Peter Johnson, chief officer of South Tees Community Health Council, said: "This shows that it is not just doctors and nurses that the NHS is short of. It is right the way through the health service, from physiotherapists to radiographers. It is a competitive national market and there are not enough trained staff to go around."

Earlier this month, Health Secretary Alan Milburn announced that three new linear accelerators are to be installed at Newcastle General Hospital to replace older models.

A spokeswoman for the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust said it had no problems in staffing its linear accelerators.