An outbreak of sickness and diarrhoea among hospital patients is being brought under control.

At its peak, a total of 167 patients at Worthing Hospital and Southlands Hospital in Shoreham were affected by the virus and several wards had to be closed.

The virus is not life-threatening but is debilitating and extremely infectious.

Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust said the outbreak was now easing off and only two wards were affected.

The virus can be caught in the community as well as in hospital and the trust has asked people who are feeling unwell to stay away until they have been symptom-free for 48 hours.

Closing wards to new patients during the last week has piled pressure on the hospital's services, which are already under stress because of the post-Christmas demand.

The trust's infection control team is continuing to monitor the spread of the illness and has been working to contain it.

This has included encouraging staff, patients and visitors to use hand gels and deep cleaning the wards affected.

Cases of the infection, often known as the Norovirus or winter vomiting disease, are common at this time of year.

The Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, Eastbourne District General Hospital and Crawley Hospital have all been affected by similar outbreaks this year.