FOUR hospital wards are to re-open after being hit by sickness and diarrhoea.

Bosses at the James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, were forced to close five medical wards and impose restrictions on a surgical ward last Friday after the outbreak.

Seven planned operations also had to be cancelled over the weekend.

At the outbreak's height, eight wards were affected, but last night hospital officials said the situation had eased and four wards are due to be re-opened after intensive cleaning.

"Stringent infection control measures and the careful management of patients coming into hospital have meant four wards will soon re-open after specialist cleaning has been carried out," a spokeswoman said.

Hospital officials say the symptoms experienced by patients suggests the outbreak is caused by norovirus, or winter vomiting disease, the most common cause of infectious gastroenteritis in hospitals and the wider community.

Deputy infection control doctor David Hill said: "While these latest cases haven't been confirmed, we are fairly sure it's the same virus which is hitting the community at large."

To try to limit the outbreak, newly-admitted patients who are already showing signs of the bug are being looked after in wards which have already been affected.

Patients on affected wards are not being transferred to other wards or discharged until they are free of symptoms.