The hospital saw 160 emergency admissions in a week

North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple has had all its 350 beds taken for most of the month.

The hospital normally admits 17 people a day through accident and emergency. Last week there was an unprecedented 160 emergency admissions.

But pressure has begun to ease after some non-urgent operations were cancelled.

Community hospitals

Last week's admissions were not due to any specific epidemic.

Managers said they were considering closing the hospital to admissions in the evening because of the pressure.

They admitted they cancelled some routine operations and moved patients into surgical wards to cope with the influx of ill people.

So far this week, managers say that the pressure has eased, although they cannot currently discharge at least 25 patients because the community hospitals around north Devon are also full.

The hospital is asking patients to be understanding while it tries to manage the situation. Staff are said to be doing all they can to meet the additional pressure.