Lewisham Hospital has been forced to turn away visitors as yet another outbreak of norovirus rocks the health services.

Several wards at the hospital, located in the High Street, have reported multiple cases of the winter vomiting bug, commonly known as norovirus.

The hospital has closed off all areas of the hospital to visitors in the interests of health and safety against the extremely contagious infection.

The restricted visiting conditions means only immediate family – parents, children, spouses – are allowed to visit patients.

The Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, which manages the hospital, urged people to stay away if they have experienced diarrhoea and vomiting in the last 48 hours, or been in close contact with someone who has.

They feared it could place patients at risk of contracting the infection, and place a huge strain on the health service as a whole.

MORE TOP STORIES Claire Champion, director of Nursing and Clinical Quality and director of Infection Prevention and Control, said: “The safety and well-being of our patients is always our top priority.

“We recognise the value of visiting to our patients and this step has not been taken lightly; however we believe these measures are essential to ensure we protect our patients from this very contagious winter bug, and to keep staff well and able to work.

“We will review the situation twice a day and restrictions will be lifted when it is considered safe for our patients to do so."

This is the second local outbreak with all wards at the Princess Royal University Hospital, in Farnborough, also closed to visitors.

They made the call impose restrictions yesterday (February 24), and are also monitoring the situation.

Symptoms include nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

For more information about Norovirus you can visit: www.nhs.uk/Norovirus/