FIVE wards remained closed to new admissions at York Hospital following an outbreak of norovirus.

Some urgent operations went ahead today but many elective operations were cancelled due to an outbreak of the winter vomiting bug.

York Hospital has been put on “red alert” due to the outbreak, which yesterday meant as many as 11 ambulances were left queuing outside A&E in Wigginton Road.

However, A&E is said to have been a lot quieter today.

A ward at Malton Hospital has also been closed to new admissions following an outbreak of norovirus.

Visitors are being asked to stay away from the hospitals if they have been unwell and until they have been free of symptoms for 48 hours.

York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is appealing for public support to help prevent the spread of norovirus.

Medical director Alastair Turnbull said: “We are asking for the public’s support and request that if you have been unwell or have any symptoms of tummy upset that you exercise caution and do not visit patients in the hospital.

“The trust has a great record in infection control practices, but we need your help to protect our most vulnerable patients. Norovirus can be a very unpleasant illness and is one of the most infectious viruses known.”

Norovirus, which is highly contagious, causes vomiting and diarrhoea. The virus is brought into the hospital from the surrounding community.

- The Channel 4 current affairs programme Dispatches has today been filming at the A&E department of York Hospital for a feature understood to be about typical departments across the country.