FOUR medical wards at Leigh Infirmary have been closed to new admissions following a stomach bug alert.

Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust bosses said an outbreak of highly contagious CDT virus at the hospital meant 18 patients had to wait on trolleys. The bug, which causes a 24-hour period of sickness and vomiting, spread quickly through the hospital leading to a bed-crisis.

A spokesman said it had put services under extreme pressure.

But she added that the virus, which is common in winter and was brought into the hospital from the community, was being contained and the wards would start to re-open during the weekend.