The accident and emergency department of the Royal Berkshire Hospital has been closed after a major incident was declared following flooding and a fire yesterday.

The British Red Cross were on site this morning, handing out food and drink to patients and staff at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

Only patients with critical injuries were being accepted at the Craven Road hospital.

All other patients were being taken to other A and E departments in Slough, Aylesbury.

People were told not to go to the A and E department.

Patients were being moved from Battle Block at the hospital because power could not be restored with certainty.

It was understood that medical staff worked through the night wearing miners lamps.

At 4.30 am yesterday (July 30), the basement was flooded after an underground leak and firefighters spent four hours pumping water away from the hospital.

A small electrical fire then broke out in the afternoon in an electrical cupboard.

Despite staff trying to keep patients comfortable in the Battle Ward area of the hospital, today management has decided to evacuate parts of the hospital and close its busy A and E department.

Tyler Clapham, who works as a kitchen assistant burnt his hand.

The 22-year-old said: " I burnt my hand I just wanted to get it looked at. It is closed but what can you do? I have go to go to Broad Street so it is not a problem but I would hate to be in an emergency situation where you slice your hand or something and get sent six or seven miles away."

Charlie Harrison, a politics student at the University of Reading sliced his hand open whilst he was cooking.

The 22-year-old said: "I am a student here I was cooking in the kitchen and I sliced my hand with a knife. My friend has work in an hour a half so if he has to drive me all the way over there then that is going to be an inconvenince."

Mary Sherry, Chief Operating Officer for Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The hospital is currently in major incident status due to the uncertainty of when full power will be restored to Battle Block and North Block. To ensure patient safety, we will be moving patients from Battle Block to other areas of the hospital.

“Our A&E is formally “closed” to anything other than life-threatening conditions. Members of the public are asked to either attend an urgent care centre, a walk in centre or A&E at Wexham Park, Stoke Mandeville, Frimley or Basingstoke with whom we have arranged a formal divert.”

"Our staff have been working hard through the night to ensure areas impacted by yesterday's power outage and isolated fire are back to normal.

“All water has been restored across the hospital. We now have the majority of power back on in North Block; however, we continue to have power issues on the north side of Battle Block, due to the extent of water damage. Our engineers on site are doing all that they can to ensure full power is restored as quickly and as safely as possible.

“Patients from the Coronary Care Unit were moved to Lodden Ward because of the smoke from yesterday’s isolated fire. These patients will remain on Lodden Ward until the area is ready for them to be returned safely."

Catherine Morrow, a spokesperson for the South Central Ambulance Service, said that patients in life threatening conditions would still be taken to the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

She said: "South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) is working in collaboration with Royal Berkshire Hospital to ensure that patients continue to receive the most appropriate care for their clinical need.

"We are still conveying all patients in life threatening conditions to Royal Berkshire Hospital but all other patients will be conveyed to alternative local emergency departments."