THE latest recruits to the National Health Service have had no training, speak not a word of English and are, quite frankly, grubby.

You would think maggots are as welcome in a hospital as the flies they turn into. Conversely, they are the star guests at Harrogate District Hospital's open evening tonight.

That is because the little wrigglers are brilliant at cleaning wounds. In a world of miracle medicine and laser surgery, it is remarkable that a branch of biotechnology patented by the ancient Greeks and the Romans is still so effective.

Updated: 10:14 Thursday, September 25, 2003