Accident and emergency departments are struggling to cope ahead of the millennium celebrations, doctors are warning.

Casualty wards across the country have far more patients than is normal for this time of year, according to the British Association for Accident & Emergency Medicine.

It blames the problem on people turning up at A&E when they are suffering from only minor ailments.

This is because the extra bank holidays over the festive period have meant people find it harder to get help from their GP or pharmacist, it says.

And there has also been an increase in viral illnesses and respiratory complaints such as flu.

This has led to an unprecedented number of people visiting and phoning casualty departments for advice.

The BAEM asked people with minor complaints to find help from elsewhere over the holiday period.

The plea comes just a day after doctors warned of a serious shortage of intensive care beds during the millennium celebrations.

Areas such as London and the north-west are already full, and could have no beds at all for those who become critically ill over the holiday period.

The worries follow months of planning by the NHS to cope with the extra demand expected to be encountered this new year's eve, on top of the usual strains of winter.