YOUNG people with serious mental illnesses are being sent as far away as Bradford and London for treatment because of "bed blocking" in the county.

Worcestershire's psychiatric intensive care unit has been crippled by the problem of delayed discharges in recent weeks.

Three of its four beds are currently "blocked" by young patients who do not need to be in the unit, but have nowhere else to go.

Colin Vines, director of clinical services and nursing at Worcestershire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, said the lack of facilities for people who needed longer term care was putting pressure on acute mental health beds across the county.

"Over the past three weeks, we have reluctantly had to place three Worcestershire residents into psychiatric intensive care unit beds in London and Bradford," he said.

He said there had also been greater demand recently for places at the unit, at Hill Crest in Redditch.

"We just didn't have the beds for them, and we had to scour the country to find them," he said.

"It's expensive to move people out of the area, but our major concern is the problems it causes for family members."

Wyre Forest MP Dr Richard Taylor agreed that the situation was "awful". However, he said he did not know what the answer was.

"I know that the trust is doing its best with what it has got," he said. "It may be that there has been so much publicity about bed blocking at the acute trust that social services does favour them rather than the mental health trust."

Coun Liz Eyre, Worcestershire County Council's cabinet member for social services, said the assessment, placement and funding of people with serious mental disorders involved both health and social services.

"This takes time," she said. "Health and social services are working very closely together for these people to move them to suitable places for their very complex needs.

"On this occasion, it is holding up three placements that would normally go to Hill Crest, but it's short term."