Young babies will miss out on a vital hearing test after the theft of a high-tech piece of equipment from York District Hospital.

Health staff are doubly frustrated because the lap-top computer which was taken from the audiology department is useless once it is separated from the rest of the testing machinery.

By coincidence a York family yesterday presented a donation towards the £15,000 cost of a second Algo Newborn Hearing Screener machine at the hospital.

But the theft, which happened over the weekend, will mean a number of parents whose children were due to be tested on the hospital's one existing machine will have their appointments cancelled.

Senior chief audiologist Richard Addis said about 200 children had been tested since the hospital acquired the equipment last summer.

Only children considered to be at risk - including those with a family history of deafness, low birth weight and premature birth - were tested with the machine, which Mr Addis said could be used on virtually new-born babies. "The earlier you can detect problems, the better," he added. "Unfortunately, because it's been stolen babies are going to miss out on this important test at this time."

He said the theft, which had been reported to the police, would have a tremendous impact.

"It has a devastating effect on the department, because it's the first time in 30 years that I've ever had problems such as this.

"It's such an important piece but, unfortunately, we don't have a back-up.

"It wouldn't be any use to anybody else because you wouldn't be able to load in anything else."

He hoped that the thief, or anyone who received or found the machine, a Toshiba 2100 CDS lap-top computer, might return it, even if they just left it at the hospital's reception.

On a happier note, the parents of five-month-old Jack Monkman, whose hearing was found to be normal after he was tested on the machine, have handed over £520 towards the cost of a second one.

Claire and Dominic Monkman were apprehensive about the test because Jack's uncle, Matty Monkman, is profoundly deaf, but was not diagnosed until he was seven.

The cash was raised through weekly quizzes and last year's Christmas draw at the White Swan pub at Deighton, which is run by Claire's parents, Ian and Marianne Walker.

Claire said: "We're donating the money to raise public awareness and to help buy another machine."

"We believe it's important every child should have the opportunity to be tested in this way, because what a lot of people don't realise is that the vast majority of deaf children are born to hearing parents."

The machine uses tiny headphones and electrodes attached to a baby's shoulder, back of the neck and forehead to test its hearing, and highlights any deficiencies.

Updated: 14:35 Thursday, April 05, 2001