Hospitals are filled to capacity as staff struggle to cope with a surge in patient numbers.

Routine operations have been cancelled and patients are waiting many hours in accident and emergency as workers try to find vacant beds.

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust says its two main hospitals, the Royal Sussex County in Brighton and the Princess Royal in Haywards Heath, are both full.

It has been forced to temporarily reopen a ward at the Brighton General it closed earlier this year to provide extra beds for orthopaedic patients recovering from surgery.

Winter pressures caused by more accidents and cases of people with complications from severe illnesses such as viruses and flu have contributed to the problem but the trust said a number of people were still coming to its A&E departments unnecessarily.

Trust chief executive Peter Coles said: "Our hospitals are full because of a large number of seriously ill patients. The trust's A&E departments have also experienced high levels of attendances in recent weeks and this demand has had a knock-on effect in terms of increased bed pressures and our ability to carry out planned surgery.

" We would like to apologise to any patients who have had to wait longer than we would like in A&E and to those whose operations have been postponed in recent days. They will be given a new date for their operation as quickly as possible.

"All suitable beds are open and we are working closely with local primary care trusts, community health providers and social care services to increase the number of people who can be discharged and reduce the number admitted to hospital.

"Our staff are working extremely hard under these pressures and we would like to thank them for their continued support."

Mr Coles called on people to make sure they were coming to the A&E departments with a genuine emergency and not with a problem that could be treated elsewhere.

He said: "We would also ask local people to think about the whole range of health care facilities available before deciding on what course of action to take when they, or a member of their family, becomes ill or has a minor accident.

"About 30 per cent of people attending A&E in the past month could have received appropriate care from either their GP, pharmacist or sought medical advice through NHS Direct."

The trust is struggling with serious financial worries and reopening beds will add to the pressures.

It has been told by Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority to reduce its expected overspend of £14.6 million by the end of March to £13.6 million.

To do this it has already announced a virtual ban on using expensive agency staff to cover vacancies, holidays and sickness.

The trust board is also considering the possibility of closing 27 beds at the Royal Sussex and cutting services at Lewes District Hospital to save money although