On Tuesday, NHS Trusts in areas including Birmingham, Liverpool, Plymouth and Winchester also declared critical incidents, citing high demand for emergency care. In a statement released on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the trust said its services were currently "extremely busy".

Here’s a list of NHS hospitals we know have declared critical incidents: Royal Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

England’s top doctor says flu surge means 'demand is showing no signs of letting up' before an expected peak next week, as numerous NHS hospital trusts declare critical incidents

A health boss at a county's NHS that has declared a critical incident said its hospitals had been dealing with high demand for more than a month. The NHS in Northamptonshire said there was mounting pressure on health services,

A number of NHS trusts in England have declared critical incidents amid "exceptionally high demands" on emergency departments. One trust said it is seeing "high numbers of older patients with respiratory problems exacerbated by the cold weather".