WYE Valley NHS Trust are reminding people to seek alternative treatment as waiting times at Hereford County Hospital hit a ‘busy’ level yesterday.

Waiting times in the A&E department rose from level two to level four, out of a possible five, yesterday as some patients experienced long waits.

A spokesman for the Trust said: “We are very busy at the moment and we’re not sure why that suddenly happened.

“There was no doubt a lot of pressure on the service yesterday.

“People need to think about alternatives to A&E as some people are coming in who don’t need A&E and who could go to the pharmacy instead.

“We can go up to level five sometimes but are usually on level two. Level four is quite common across the country in the winter when there is a lot more pressure on the service.”

The spokesman said that the Wye Valley NHS Trust is currently working alongside clinical commissioners and social care providers.