People in East Lancashire are being asked to only attend A and E if they have a life-threatening condition after they are reporting to be very busy.

East Lancashire Hospital Trust, which runs Royal Blackburn Hospital and Burnley General Hospital, has been busy through the day and are asking people to use GP or NHS 111 services to check symptoms and determine whether they need to attend Accident and Emergency.

Assistant Director of Nursing for Blackburn Hospital A and E, Cheryl Doyle said: "We are extremely busy today in the emergency department and prioritising our urgent and emergency cases.

"We are asking your help in the community for those patients that thing they need to come to ED that they utilise the GP services and NHS 111 first to check for symptoms and only attend the emergency department for life threatening conditions."