A critical incident has been declared by University Hospitals Birmingham because of what it says are extreme pressures on services. The first week of January has seen an "exceptional number" of patients with flu requiring hospital admission, which has now affected 311 inpatients, the NHS trust said.

Hospitals in the West are experiencing critical incidents due to high levels of flu and norovirus. Services are "extremely busy" at hospitals in Gloucestershire, Yeovil and Taunton. Long A+E waits have been reported at Salisbury District Hospital where one man claims he was left waiting hours with no pain medication.

Two Somerset hospitals have declared critical incidents due to sharp rises in patients presenting with flu and other respiratory illnesses.