A hospital has been forced to shut down three wards after an outbreak of a mystery illness.

The bug, which causes sickness and diarrhoea, is affecting both patients and staff at Singleton Hospital in Swansea.

Around 75 beds have been closed to new admissions while tests are carried out to identify the virus.

We have infection control policies in place

Andrew Bellamy, Swansea NHS Trust

Andrew Bellamy, a spokesman for Swansea NHS Trust said: "Two medical wards and a surgical ward are closed to new admissions at Singleton Hospital.

"We have infection control policies in place."

Visitors have been warned about the virus and are urged to wash their hands when leaving the hospital.

Those visiting infected patients have been asked to wear gloves and gowns.

Meanwhile, operations have been cancelled and admissions to wards restricted in an attempt to control a winter virus which has hit two north Wales hospital.

Patients at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor are being advised to keep the number of visitors to a minimum as they could pick up the bug on the wards.

The hospital says it is also advisable not to bring children and frail, elderly visitors to the site.

It is not yet known whether the North Wales bug is the same as that which has struck in Swansea.

The bug was first detected over a week ago and the number of cases has since dropped from 35 to 23.

The hospital still has strict measures in place to prevent an escalation.

However, emergency and urgent cases have not been affected.

The bug is known as SRVS - Small Round Structured Virus - or the 'winter vomiting bug' and is particularly common during the winter.

Winter bug

The bug results in sickness and diarrhoea and some people suffer from a raised temperature, headaches and aching limbs.

It first broke at Wrexham Maelor at the start of the month but has now been brought under control at the site.

Ysbyty Gwynedd spokesman Alan Parry said on Monday the situation was nowhere near as bad in Bangor as it had been in Wrexham.

Admissions prevented

"We have prevented admissions to some six wards a day on average since the outbreak started on 11 November," he said.

"The wards do not then return to normal until three days after the last symptoms are detected.

"At the moment 17 patients and six members of staff are suffering from the virus which is mild in nature and gets better without antibiotics.

"It has the same symptoms as gastric flu and could be dangerous if a particularly frail person was to contract it.

The bug hit Wrexham Maelor hospital earlier in the month

"The virus spreads from person to person and once it is in a hospital then it escalates more easily.

"Preventing people from entering certain wards and from moving around the hospital is the way we are dealing with the situation."

A week ago there were between 35 and 40 cases in the hospital - the figures being made up of a combination of patients and members of staff.

In addition to other precautions the hospital is advising visitors to wash their hands with soap and water thoroughly before and after visiting patients.