An investigation has been started after a woman complained about the standard of cleanliness at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital.

Emma Wiggins said her mother, Ann, was left in a dirty side room at the Headington hospital, after being admitted with a stomach obstruction.

She said the room, off ward 6F, had sticky substances plastered over the floor, was littered with bed pans, plasters and cotton buds, dead flowers were rotting on the window ledge, and the furniture was covered in grime.

A sign had been left on the door warning staff to wear gowns before entering the room, because the previous patient had been infectious.

Hospital staff said the room had been cleaned, but apologised if it did not meet the family's expectations. They have since launched an investigation into the incident.

Mrs Wiggins, 51, of Quartermain Close, Donnington, Oxford, was admitted on October 15 with a stomach complaint that could cause her kidneys to fail.

Mrs Wiggins was initially treated at the JR's new trauma unit, but was transferred to the side room in the main hospital three days later.

Her daughter, Emma, was furious at the conditions her mother was staying in.

She said: "The trauma unit was brilliant. But the other wards were foul. In Mum's ward the windows were open, there was no heating, it was freezing. There was this sticky mess everywhere, even over the windows, bed pans on the floor, cotton wool, plasters, even dying flowers. My mum has a weak immune system, so it was a concern.

"Another lady was moved at the same time and put into a four-bed ward that was just as mucky with this gunk everywhere too. She was crying because of where she was."

After several inquiries, a cleaner did visit the room later that night.

Ms Wiggins said: "They squirted some cleaning fluid on the sticky mess but left everything else. The room was covered with dirt. My mum couldn't sleep until 2am."

A spokesman for the hospital said the room had been cleaned before Mrs Wiggins was moved in and the previous patient had not been infectious, despite the sign on the door."

She said: "We are sorry and apologise that the room failed to meet the family's expectations. Cleanliness is a priority for us. We will be investigating thoroughly through the usual complaints procedure and will contact the family with the outcome."