Violent and abusive patients were today warned they faced prosecution if they targeted hospital staff.

Accident and emergency departments are bracing themselves for a sharp rise in patient numbers this weekend and during the New Year celebrations.

Every year, frontline workers, including nurses and doctors, face attacks and abuse from patients during the New Year period, many of whom are drunk.

Staff have now been told they will get the full backing of hospital bosses if they decide to take legal action against their attackers.

The A&E department at Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton is one of the busiest in Sussex and is expecting large numbers of casualties in the next few days.

A hospital spokesman said: "We operate a policy of zero tolerance against attacks on staff, verbal or physical.

"If someone is critically ill or injured then we will treat them but there is a small minority who come into hospital regularly, who have been drinking and begin to abuse staff.

"If they continue to cause problems, we will take action against them. We are there to provide a service for people but we need to protect our own workers."

Health minister John Hutton said: "Alcohol misuse is a particular problem for hospital A&E departments but NHS staff have the right to work without fear of violence."