Some items have already been donated for use in Belarus and Uganda.

The surplus is being auctioned on Tuesday to help buy up-to-date equipment for the Wiltshire town's new Great Western Hospital.

Organisers hope to raise £70,000 for the new hospital which opened last December.

Leaked letter

Nigel Hodgson of Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust said: "There are one or two good bargains.

"But in the main, it's either outdated equipment or it's been superseded by new ways of doing things in patient care."

Earlier in January, a leaked letter outlined serious bed problems at the newly-opened Great Western.

The letter, sent to GPs in the region claimed the bed situation was 'untenable'.