A hospital has been forced to close a second ward because of an outbreak of a highly infectious virus.

Four cancer patients were struck down by a sickness and diarrhoea bug on Howard 1 ward at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

The ward is going through a deep clean and managers are hoping to have it up and running again by tomorrow.

Earlier this week 16 patients and a member of staff on Vallance ward at the same hospital, which cares for the elderly, went down with a bug.

The ward was closed for 40 hours and was due to reopen yesterday.

All patients, staff and visitors are asked to use the alcohol hand gel dispensers found at the entrance to all hospital wards.

Tests are being carried out to see whether the patients are suffering from the norovirus bug, also known as winter vomiting disease.

The bug can often sweep through hospitals and communities at this time of year, leading to bed shortages and cancelled operations.