Four wards were closed at the James Paget University Hospital on Tuesday morning following an outbreak of norovirus.

Visitors are being told not to visit loved ones if they have had symptoms of diarrhoea or vomiting in the past 48 hours, to help protect patients from infection.

The hospital is also urging visitors to:

•Wash hands with soap and water before entering/exiting the ward and after going to the toilet;

•Only 2 visitors are allowed onto the ward per patient - when visiting go to only one patient on one ward per visit;

•Visits by school age children should be discouraged;

•Information leaflets are available on wards throughout the hospital.

Symptoms of norovirus, more commonly known as the winter vomiting bug, also include a raised temperature, headache and aching limbs.

The first wards at the Gorleston hospital were closed at the weekend.

Those due to go into the James Paget for an operation or appointment who have the symptoms should phone ahead to let the nursing staff know and to receive further advice, the hospital said on Monday.

Director of nursing at the JPUH, Liz Libiszewski, said: 'We are committed to controlling the spread of infections in our hospital and have a dedicated and highly skilled infection control team that ensures all staff are aware of the symptoms and control measures for this virus.

'Any ward known to experience symptoms of the virus will be closed in order to prevent cases of the virus spreading.'