Work is continuing to try to contain the spread of an infectious stomach bug which has closed wards in two hospitals.

Hospital patients and staff have been struck down with sickness and diarrhoea caused by winter vomiting disease.

About 20 patients are affected at the moment with one ward closed at Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and another at Brighton General.

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust bosses have been dealing with sporadic outbreaks of the bug on wards since December.

More than 40 workers and dozens of patients have been infected.

The bug affects many hospitals between November and April each year and once it is in the community it can be difficult to contain because it is so infectious.

The outbreak has led to increased pressures on the hospital with sick nursing staff having to be replaced with agency and bank workers.

It can also take up to two weeks to ensure a ward affected by the bug is free from infection.

This means the beds are lost until then which has a knock-on effect on accident and emergency waiting times and cancelled operations.

The virus is not life-threatening but it is debilitating for patients who are already frail or vulnerable.

The trust's infection control team is working to contain the bug and extra precautions have been brought in including washing hands and disinfecting areas.

A hospital spokesman said: "If anyone planning to visit the hospital is showing symptoms of the virus we would ask them keep away until they have recovered.

"The number of cases is not as high as it was last year and we are doing what we can to minimise disruption for patients."