Patients are being turned away from Watford General Hospital for the third time this week after services were suspended due to pressures in A&E.

Lack of beds and over-stretched services have forced hospital staff to suspend treatment for adults with minor injuries or illnesses this evening.

The hospital trust, which is in special measures, suspended these services on Tuesday and Wednesday.

People faced five-hour waits for appointments on Monday, and paramedics were forced to wait alongside patients on trolleys.

The West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust blamed a "surge of very sick patients".

Hospital staff are also struggling to free up beds due to delays in transferring patients to other organisations.

Long waits at A&E was one of the main reasons West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust was rated as inadequate by the Care Quality Commission last year.

In a statement, the trust said: “The Accident & Emergency department at Watford Hospital is experiencing an extreme unprecedentedly surge of very sick patients.

"To ensure our emergency care team are able to treat these seriously unwell patients, we have taken the decision to suspend the adults’ Minor Injuries service at Watford for a further 24 hours.

"All patients arriving at A&E will be seen by a clinician, but if it is judged that their condition is not serious, they will be advised where else to receive treatment. Children’s services are unaffected."

Have you been affected? Get in touch with the newsroom on 078245 30119 or michael.knowles@london.newsquest.co.uk