Fresh claims of sexual abuse have been made against late TV presenter Sir Jimmy Savile, following allegations that he preyed on children during hospital visits.

A string of police forces said members of the public had come forward to make complaints. They have been referred to Scotland Yard, which is leading the investigation.

Greater Manchester, Lancashire, North Yorkshire and Tayside are the latest forces to say allegations have been made.

Claims have also emerged that Savile groped young patients at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, in Buckinghamshire, where he worked as a volunteer fundraiser.

Nurses at the hospital are understood to have dreaded Savile's visits because of his behaviour and would tell children to pretend to be asleep when he came round.

And a Scottish woman, Caroline Moore, has claimed she was assaulted by Savile at the age of 13, while being treated for spinal injuries at Stoke Mandeville in 1971. Mrs Moore, from Clarkston in East Renfrewshire, said: "I was outside a ward or a gym and he came out and just rammed his tongue down my throat. I told my family at the time; they didn't take it seriously because he was such a high-profile character."

June Thornton, a patient at Leeds General Infirmary in 1972, said she saw Savile abuse someone she thought was a brain-damaged girl. She said when she told a nurse about the abuse, she was ignored.

"I don't know of a nice way to put it, but he molested her. He helped himself. She just sat there and couldn't do anything about it," Ms Thornton said.

A spokesman for Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs Stoke Mandeville, said: "We are shocked to hear of the serious allegations about Jimmy Savile.

"At this stage it would not be appropriate for us to conduct our own internal investigation. We have been contacted by the police and are supporting them fully with their inquiries. If their findings suggest that we do need to take further action, we will do so."

A spokesman for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said: "We are shocked at the nature and extent of the very serious allegations made against Jimmy Savile, which were revealed by the Metropolitan Police on Wednesday.

"We have made contact with the police and they will be meeting with us to discuss their investigation. Clearly this whole matter needs to be looked into fully."