A MERSEYSIDE hospital last night banned visitors after an outbreak of the highly- contagious vomiting bug norovirus.

Wirral’s Arrowe Park said it imposed the temporary restrictions as a “precaution” following the admission of infected patients from local nursing homes.

The hospital’s website revealed that two wards were affected by the virus, which can cause severe diarrhoea and sickness.

The ban on visitors to the main hospital buildings is set to remain in place until Monday at least.

It is the fourth time in just 18 months that Wirral Universities NHS Trust has restricted visitor access because of a norovirus outbreak.

Sue Green, director of human resources at the hospital Trust, said the extent of the restrictions would be reviewed daily. She told the Daily Post: “We, in discussion with our primary care colleagues, have taken the precaution of restricting visits to the hospital.

“By taking a proactive approach to eradicate this highly-infectious virus for a short period of time we are reducing the chance of infection to our patients.

“We haven’t had an outbreak of norovirus in the hospital but we are having patients who are being admitted from the community.

“Such a precaution is entirely normal in a hospital setting”.

Visiting at the Wirral Women and Children's Hospital on the same site, near Upton, remains unaffected and the restrictions will be reviewed on a daily basis.

Norovirus is one of the most common forms of gasteroentertis in England and Wales and affects up to one million people in the UK every year.

Hugh Lamont, from the Health Protection Agency, said the virus is easily transmitted from person to person in semi-closed environments such as hospitals, schools and nursing homes.

Symptoms, which begin with sudden nausea followed by vomiting and diarrhoea, start around 12 to 48 hours after infection and can last up to three days.