NHS Gloucestershire has declared a ‘critical incident’, as hospitals in the county struggle to cope with rises in flu and norovirus.

Declaring a critical incident allows health bosses to take necessary and immediate plans to create capacity, seeking to relieve pressure on emergency departments - which can mean discharging patients.

Dr Ananthakrishnan Raghuram, chief medical officer at NHS Gloucestershire, said: "The two emergency departments in Gloucester and Cheltenham are extremely busy, but all health services are dealing with very high levels of need.

"We are asking the public for their continued support over this period by only accessing the emergency departments if it's a life-threatening condition or serious injury and to continue to use services responsibly."

Advice can be accessed via NHS 111.