THREE potentially- dangerous patients escaped from a secure psychiatric unit, sparking a major search operation.

The three men escaped from Stockton Hall Hospital, at Stockton-on-the-Forest - and it took a more than three hours to recapture them all.

They were all returned to the medium-security hospital, which treats both men and women suffering from psychopathic disorders and mental illnesses or who have mild to moderate learning difficulties.

As well as hospital staff, North Yorkshire police were involved in the search and used a dog team as well as calling in the North East air support helicopter, from Teesside Airport.

A source told The Press that the men had escaped out of a window, crossed an open area and then climbed over the 3.5 metre high perimeter fence before running over the golf course at the back of the medium security unit.

The men got out at about 11.10pm on Tuesday. One was recaptured at 11.45pm and the other two men were discovered near the A1237 at 2.25am the next morning.

A spokesman for the hospital said he could not confirm if the men had been a risk to the local community because of patient confidentiality, but he said that there was always the potential for danger with any patient on medication.

He said: "We have quite good emergency procedures when things happen and the patients were returned to the facility in quite a short period of time.

"We're basically looking at how they escaped at the moment.

"The facility has cordoned off the area and is looking at the place where the breakout occurred. There is no danger that anyone else could escape.

"Clearly, it is of concern when anybody who is on any sort of medication does abscond, but the emergency procedures were followed and the police and everyone else involved were very happy with the way everything worked out."

He added that there is currently an internal investigation being carried out into the breakout.

The three men are just the latest in a line of escapees from the medium secure unit.

Last month, The Press reported how a male patient was free for an hour-and-a- half before being recaptured. The most recent escapes bring the total up to six in 12 months.

Ward councillor Madeleine Kirk said local residents had a right to be concerned.

She said: "I think it's right that residents should be concerned at these continuing escapes."

She said that after the September escape she had contacted Myles Paterson, executive director at the hospital, who had told her security was being reviewed and the hospital was looking at installing a 5.2 metre high perimeter fence rather than the current 3.5 metre one.