Norfolk hospitals are urging visitors who have been ill to stay at home if possible as more than a thousand beds have been closed around the country due to nororvirus.

NHS England has launched a campaign due to the spread of the bug and are concerned about the impact on hospitals and other services.

It is urging anyone who catches the virus not to go back to work or school until at least 48 hours after symptoms pass, to avoid passing it on to others.

Public Health England (PHE) said the number of positive norovirus reports between November 11 and 24 was 28 per cent higher than the average for the last five years.

There was one case of norovirus that broke out at the James Paget Hospital in that time period. There have been no further cases since.

A spokesman from The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn asked visitors not to put loved ones at risks.

A case of the vomiting bug was found at the Windsor Ward but there were no cases during the period of November 11 to 24.

The hospital said it had seen 'increasing' levels of norovirus in the community is asking anyone who has experienced d diarrhoea and /or sickness are asked to stay away from the hospital for 72 hours.

All visitors are being asked to report to the Nurse in charge of a department or service before seeing a patient.

It has asked that children under 12 do not visit and that visitors wash their hands with soap and water before entering any clinical areas.

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Trust and West Suffolk NHS Trust have reported no cases of bed closures.

Anne How, infection prevention lead nurse at the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We work hard to prevent and limit the spread of infection at our trust all year round. However, we are particularly vigilant in winter as the risk of infections spreading is very high.

"We would advise anyone who has had diarrhoea or vomiting to stay away from the hospital for at least 48 hours after they have recovered, even if they feel better."

Norovirus, also known as the winter vomiting bug, is one of the most common stomach bugs in the UK.

It is food borne and can be combatted by washing your hands.

The main symptoms of norovirus are typically, suddenly feeling sick, projectile vomiting and watery diarrhoea.

Some people also have a slight fever, headaches, painful stomach cramps and aching limbs.

The symptoms appear one to two days after people become infected and typically last for up to two or three days.