A hospital nurse used a syringe to steal epidural drugs from IV bags meant for pregnant women.

Caroline Heap risked infecting the sterile medication by drawing it from the bags at Victoria Hospital's maternity unit in Kirkcaldy.

At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on Friday, she was sentenced to 250 hours of community service after admitting a charge of culpable and reckless conduct.

She took the painkilling medication from the sealed bags between October 17 and November 7 last year.

The 41-year-old was caught by colleagues at the hospital and the matter was referred to the police.

Detective inspector Graeme Dursley, of Kirkcaldy CID, said: "Heap risked the contamination of sterile medicine and her actions were completely inexcusable.

"I want to extend my sincere appreciation to staff at the Victoria Hospital for their vigilance in detecting and reporting this, as well as NHS Fife for their support."

Helen Wright, director of nursing at NHS Fife, said: "This was a serious breach of the professional standards we expect of our staff.

"Patient safety is of the utmost importance and we are constantly reviewing our systems and processes to ensure patients receive safe care of the highest quality.

"Since this incident came to light we have subjected existing procedures around controlled drugs to further review, taking the opportunity to tighten up protocols."