Five people died at the hospital after contracting the C. difficile bug

The patients at Maidstone Hospital are all in the Boxley Ward, which looks after the elderly and stroke victims.

The hospital has informed relatives, but has said the outbreak is not thought to be linked to the potentially deadly bug, clostridium difficile.

Five patients at the hospital died from an outbreak of the diarrhoea bug between April and June this year.

The hospital said at the time that more than 100 patients were affected by the superbug.

Ward closed

In the outbreak of gastro-enteritis, all the patients fell ill on Tuesday night.

Maidstone Hospital said it immediately closed Boxley Ward to new admissions as part of its infection control measures.

Tests are being carried out to confirm that the outbreak is a form of gastro-enteritis, which normally passes within 24 to 48 hours.

Relatives of the sick patients have also been asked not to visit to help contain the infection.

In July, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust said infection control measures, including stricter handwashing controls and additional hospital cleaning, were being carried out.

Earlier this week, a man whose 83-year-old mother died at the hospital after contracting clostridium difficile called for managers to take stronger action over cleaning.