Adult emergency patients were moved on to a children’s ward as a hospital tried to cope with a huge influx of people attending the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department.

The large numbers of people attending the emergency department and requiring admission at University Hospital Lewisham on Monday led to ‘escalation procedures’ being put in place for safety reasons.

The situation was described as "critical" and "not safe" in an email sent to staff, reported The Guardian.

The same email also reportedly said the hospital had "nowhere to put the next patient brought in as an emergency by ambulance".

A Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust spokeswoman said: “It was extremely busy with high number of patients attending the emergency department at University Hospital Lewisham and requiring admission.

“We put our escalation procedures in place to ensure patient safety was maintained.

"In line with this, the paediatric short stay unit was briefly used as an adult only escalation area.”

Greenwich Clinical Commissioning group published advice for using A&E services online.

It said: “University Hospital Lewisham and Queen Elizabeth Hospital are currently extremely busy, caring for large numbers of people who are seriously ill.

“Both hospitals are working around the clock to make sure all our patients get the best care in the most appropriate place.

“We are urging people to only visit A&E in a real emergency and where possible visit your local pharmacist, GP, walk in centre or minor injuries unit.

“Remember pharmacies can help with several common conditions including minor injuries: coughs, colds and fevers, diarrhoea and vomiting, hay fever and other allergies, skin rashes and cuts. They can give advice and medicines, if appropriate.”

There are fears that the overcrowding could get worse as a cold snap is set to hit London and the South East in the coming days.

The Met Office have issued a yellow warning for snow for Greater London.

Were you affected by overcrowding at the hospital? Get in touch on 01689 885 725 or email jessica.clark@london.newsquest.co.uk.