HEALTH chiefs have told patients to stay away from A&E for 'less serious concerns' - warning that urgent care medics there are 'extremely busy'.

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) said patients must consider using alternatives such as the Minor Injuries Units at Accrington and Rossendale or Urgent Care Centres at Blackburn and Burnley.

In May, stretched A&E staff struggled to meet the four-hour emergency department wait target.

Medics should aim to treat 95 per cent of emergency cases within four hours but the ELHT figure was 85 per cent.

In total, 20,591 people sought treatment at Royal Blackburn Hospital's emergency department in May and of those, 17,738 were treated and left the department within four hours.

The trust wrote on Facebook on Saturday: "Our A&E is extremely busy at the moment. Please consider using alternatives such as the Minor Injuries Units at Accrington and Rossendale or the Urgent Care Centres at Blackburn and Burnley for less serious concerns."