Health chiefs plan to build three temporary wards and two temporary operating theatres - at a cost of £5 million - at Bradford Royal Infirmary to ease pressure on the over-stretched hospital.

The buildings - seen as a temporary measure until the hospital's £116 million expansion takes place - could be operational on the Duckworth Lane site by early next year.

Malcolm Poad, director of planning at Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust, said they would increase capacity until the planned major expansion was complete.

Last year a strategic outline was approved for the re-development but there are now several more stages which must be negotiated. Mr Poad said: "We are redeveloping the hospital, but the earliest that will happen is 2007 - there is no way to speed the process up.

"We cannot wait that long. We want to bring about improvements now, hence the need for temporary accommodation."

He stressed that, although the buildings would be temporary, they would be of a high standard and linked in to the main hospital services.

Each ward will have 28 beds and the operating theatres will initially concentrate on cutting waiting times for general surgery, orthopaedics and plastic surgery.

Discussions are currently under way on funding options for the new buildings.

Hospital Trust bosses are in talks with local primary care trusts about day-to-day running costs, and an application has been made to the Department of Health for the capital costs of the project.

"We should know in October if we have been successful in securing the money," said Mr Poad.

He added that planning permission was being sought now, so the project could be given the green light as soon as the funding application was successful.

"There is work going on to recruit staff - we will get them from wherever we can.

"We have had successful recruitment campaigns in the Philippines, which is connected to this project.

"We have had a good hard look at this and it is the best way forward for Bradford for the next five years."