Nick Phin, National Infection Service deputy director at Public Health England said: “Norovirus can be unpleasant and is easily passed on to those around you.”

“Most people get over it within a day or two, but in the very young, elderly and those who have weakened immune systems it can last longer.

“It is easy to get dehydrated, so it’s important to drink plenty of fluids to prevent this.

“We advise you should avoid visiting GP surgeries, care homes and hospitals if you have symptoms,” he added.

NHS England said there were 512,962 emergency admissions last month, 4.8 per cent higher than the same month last year.

Of these, 48,339 patients waited more than four hours, with 109 waiting over 12 hours.

The operational standard for A&E waiting times is that 95 per cent of patients should be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours of arrival at an A&E department. This has not been met since July 2015.

Weekly NHS data showed  2,340 ambulance delays of more than 60 minutes,  in the seven days which ended on Monday – up from 1,840 the previous week.

In total, almost 12,000 patients suffered delays of at least thirty minutes.

Labour’s shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the sharp rise in ambulance delays was “shocking”.

“Last week’s cold snap demonstrated once again the crisis facing our NHS this winter and Government inaction will only make the challenge facing the NHS that much harder,” he said.