Four men have been arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance after several videos apparently filmed inside hospitals appeared online claiming the effects of the Covid pandemic on the NHS had been overstated.

Two men, aged 31 and 34, from Bromsgrove, a 34-year-old from Droitwich and another male, aged 27, from Kidderminster, all in Worcestershire, were arrested on Tuesday, West Mercia Police said.

The men currently remain in police custody, the force said.

In a statement, a police spokesman said: “The arrests have been made in relation to several incidents across hospitals within Worcestershire and Birmingham, Bromsgrove town centre and a park in Bromsgrove that have taken place between 31 December 2020 and 9 January 2021.”

The arrests come after videos appeared online apparently filmed inside the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham and the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch.

Hospitals in Worcester and Kidderminster also featured, before the footage was deleted.