Staff in the accident and emergency department at the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald said a bed shortage reached crisis point on Monday night.

During Tuesday morning, about 30 patients were waiting on trolleys and chairs.

Several people spent the night in the department, including a woman in her 90s.

The hospital said staff were working under extreme pressure.

One senior staff member told the BBC that the situation was "worse than would normally be expected in January".

The pressure has been building up on them and this morning it reached such a degree that they felt useless

Cathal Killen Nursing manager

It was confirmed that some patients were diverted to other Belfast hospitals.

Nursing manager Cathal Killen said staff were stretched to the limit.

"The situation was dire," he said. "The nurses are under extreme pressure and they have worked very hard.

"The pressure has been building up on them and this morning it reached such a degree that they felt useless and they weren't giving the quality of care they would like to patients.

"There were a few nurses in tears and rightly so."

The hospital's A&E consultant, Sean McGovern, said patients and staff were having to deal with exceptional circumstances.

"No patient who is ill wants to be on a trolley overnight - it is upsetting for the relatives," he said.

"That feeds back to the staff. Staff here are trained to deal with acute emergencies, and dealing with patients and their problems - it is very difficult and very stressful."