Following an enquiry by a national newspaper, it was reported that flowers were now prohibited because of an alleged risk to health.

But this week, NHS Borders issued a statement reassuring all its patients and their visitors that there is no ban on people bringing flowers into any of its hospitals.

“We know how important flowers, cards and gifts are for raising patient’s spirits, an important element of the recovery process,” said an NHS Borders spokesperson. “The original enquiry asked NHS Borders what restrictions, if any, were placed on the items visitors could bring into hospital for patients, e.g. flowers, food, get well cards, and why?

“In our response, we stated that NHS Borders does not have any blanket policies for restricting what visitors may bring in.

“We did state that some flowers, such as lilies, may be removed from the ward if they are found to be irritating to other patients. The strong perfume of some flowers can be unpleasant for people who are unwell.”

Some health authorities in Scotland, where hospitals have been afflicted by lethal superbugs, have banned flowers with high levels of pollen, such as lilies and geraniums.

However, while pollen can affect people who suffer from hayfever and skin rashes, leading allergy experts say the risk is negligible and condemned such bans as disproportionate.

Patients groups have also criticised the policy, while Professor Brian Lipworth, head of the asthma and allergy research group at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, has described the move as “completely over the top”.

The concern over flowers coincides with a dramatic rise in the number of hospital-acquired infections.

Between December 2007 and May this year, Health Protection Scotland recorded 3,174 cases of Clostridium difficile infection nationwide, leading to 285 deaths.

There were 56 cases in the Borders, with one death reported.

However, many incidents of such infection in Scotland are blamed by experts on people ignoring hand-washing guidelines designed to halt the spread of superbugs.