BOSSES at the Royal Bolton Hospital have been forced to open extra beds to cope with the number of patients being admitted with winter illnesses.

The situation reached such a critical level on Wednesday night that chiefs asked ambulance bosses to route emergencies to other hospitals.

But the request was denied because other hospitals were also flooded with patients.

The accident and emergency department at the Royal Bolton is eight per cent busier this year, than at the same time last year.

Head of communications for the hospital, Heather Edwards, said: "We have seen an increase in both medical and surgical patients needing to be admitted to the hospital.

"We have put in place our plan for dealing with additional pressure, for instance by using some of our day care beds around the clock."

Hospital chiefs are now appealing for people to only visit casualty in an emergency.

Mrs Edwards said: "Although we are coping, we would remind people about the alternatives to A&E for non-emergencies, for instance, seeking advice from their local pharmacist, NHS Direct or walk-in centres."

Last April, family doctors were told not to send patients to the Royal Bolton Hospital when it faced what was described as a "dire" beds shortage.