More than £93m is needed to prevent catastrophic failure at the “ageing” Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals, as repair bills continue to soar.

New figures reveal Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals together have one of the highest repair bill backlogs in England for maintenance with a high or significant risk.

High risk repairs are those needed “to prevent catastrophic failure, major disruption to clinical services or deficiencies in safety liable to cause serious injury and/or prosecution,” according to NHS Digital.

This puts the trust just behind the Hillingdon Hospitals NHSFT and Uxbridge and Imperial College Healthcare NHST in London.

Epsom and Ewell Labour leader Cllr Vince Romagnuolo, said: “The Tories are betraying the NHS, they’re betraying the people of Epsom, Ewell and Ashtead, and they’re betraying the country.

“Our doctors and nurses here in Epsom and Ewell work so hard to look after us and the people we love. But we’re all being let down by a government in Westminster that won’t pay for the basic repairs that we need to keep patients and NHS staff safe.

Mr Romagnuolo added: “What’s really shocking, though, is that Chris Grayling still hasn’t called on Theresa May to cancel the cuts she’s got planned for the next four years.

“If you’re the MP for this area, but you don’t support its people and its public services, then you’ve fundamentally failed.”

In a statement released to the Comet, Epsom and St Helier chief executive Daniel Elkeles confirmed the figure and said it will come as no surprise to local people.

He said: “The buildings of Epsom and St Helier hospitals are very old. St Helier turned 80 this year, and Epsom is not much younger.

“It is no secret that our ageing estate not only costs a lot to maintain and repair, but also hampers the care we provide to patients.

“That’s exactly why we are so proud of the £100 million investment we have secured to spend on improving our hospitals over the next three years.”

However, Mr Elkeles pointed to the new urgent treatment centre and antenatal unit at Epsom and the new diabetic centre and adult audiology departments at St Helier as signs things were moving in the right direction.

He also cited a £12 million project to replace the windows, roof and render at St Helier and plans to create a new outpatient department, replace steam-powered boilers and build a walkway bridge at Epsom.

He said: “All of these new departments are stocked full of the latest equipment, meaning our staff can keep providing great quality care in environments that are fit for 21st century healthcare.

“That said, this £100 million investment won’t cover all of the backlog bill, as some work we’re doing doesn’t fall into that category, and it won’t solve all of the problems we have for the long term.”