A MOTHER today said she feared her mentally ill son was about to commit suicide because no bed can be found for him in a secure hospital unit.

Neil Green, 19, has spent three weeks in jail at Lancaster Farms young offenders institution after hospital bosses said he was too dangerous for the psychiatric ward at Burnley General Hospital.

Today a health watchdog spokesman said he was horrified by the situation and accused the Burnley hospital Trust of dumping the teenager on the prison system.

Neil was a sectioned patient under the Mental Health Act in a psychiatric ward at Burnley General Hospital when he damaged a wardrobe door last month.

He was arrested and taken to the police station and charged with causing criminal damage.

The next day he was discharged from hospital.

He appeared at Burnley magistrates court, pleaded guilty, and was sent to Lancaster Farms pending completion of a psychiatric assessment and a hospital bed being made available.

Three times he has appeared in court and been returned to Lancaster Farms.

He is due to return to court again on Wednesday but still no bed in a secure unit has been found.

She said she had received a letter from her son saying he could not stand it there any more and just wanted to return to hospital to get better.

Frank Clifford, chairman of the health watchdog Community Health Council, said the case highlighted a lack of secure hospital accommodation for people with problems like Neil. Mrs Green said she could no longer look after Neil after 19 years of struggling and he could not cope alone in the community.

A home care worker, of Hollins Road, Nelson, Mrs Green said: "He is now being kept in a prison service situation for a minor offence which would normally result in a fine at most.

"He should be in a secure hospital unit for his own safety. He was discharged from hospital because they could not cope with him.

"He is in the hospital wing but still locked in a cell like other inmates. I fear he will end up just another statistic, he will end up killing himself. "

She said Neil had made previous attempts on his life. On one occasion he was dragged back over the parapet of the multi-storey car park in Nelson. She said he also threw himself into a river and was sectioned and taken into Burnley General in March after threatening to jump from Reedyford Bridge on to the M65.

Mrs Green said: "I have nothing but praise for the police. They wanted him to be returned to hospital, as does his care worker and the community health council."

Mrs Green and her husband, Stephen have made a formal complaint to the Community Health Council and intend to sue the Health Trust.

Coun Clifford said: "I was horrified that that this lad who has had mental illness throughout his life is in Lancaster Farms which has recently had rather a poor report from the Inspector of Prisons.

"When police took him back to hospital and tried to return him to the ward he was refused permission to stay.

"Police were left with nowhere to go except to take him and keep him in the cells at Colne police station.

"The Trust took the opportunity to dump this lad, and I do believe that, and to get him off the ward.

"There is an urgent need to get him out of prison. He needs support and help"

Trust chief executive David Chew said patients who were so disruptive needed particular health care needs which could not be delivered in Burnley. He said local units were simply not geared up to dealing with that level of disruption and they were still trying to find appropriate accommodation for Neil.

He said there was a national shortage of secure beds for patients with needs very similar to Neil's and added: "While we sympathise with Mr and Mrs Green we are working towards a solution.

"We are more than happy to talk again with the family if they would like to come and see us."

Pendle MP Gordon Prentice has been asked to intervene but is currently out of the country.

A spokeswoman for the Prison Service said every prisoner at Lancaster Farms had a minimum of four hours a day out of their cell.

Patients in the hospital wing by definition were closely monitored for suicide risk and there was a full time suicide prevention programme in place, she said.