A man took himself to A&E in Dartford fearing he had a vein problem that upon closer inspection turned out to be a leaking pen.

Darent Valley Hospital is appealing to patients to use other services because of extremely high demand in the A&E today.

A spokesman for the hospital said A&E should not be used unless it is an emergency, using this case as an example.

A man, who showed no signs of pain, attended Darent Valley because of a green line running down his leg.

However, when a nurse gently washed the man's leg with a wet wipe, the green line "miraculously disappeared."

A hospital spokesman said: "On asking the gentleman to check his pockets he produced a leaking green pen!

"Please allow our staff to treat those who really need them, those who are acutely ill. If you choose to attend and do not have a serious / life threatening condition please be prepared for a very long wait to be seen."

This follows another recent report where a patient attended A&E because of a mild nosebleed.

For a full list of alternative medical facilities click here.