HOSPITAL appointments have been cancelled in Winchester after a major incident at Southampton General Hospital.

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation trust says paediatric outpatient appointments at Royal Hampshire County Hospital have been cancelled for the rest of today.

The trust has also declared its own major incident.

The announcement comes as medical staff across the region deal with the fallout after a power cut and fire at Southampton General Hospital this morning.

Emergency patients were transported to Queen Alexandra Hospital, in Portsmouth, Royal Hampshire County Hospital and Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital who were all accepting ambulances for Southampton.

At around 1.30pm Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust tweeted: "To ensure that we have paediatric staff available to treat patients diverted from #Southampton, paediatric outpatient appointments at Winchester hospital have been cancelled for the rest of the day.

"Staff are contacting those who had appointments today to make them aware of this and cancelled appointments will be rearranged as soon as possible."

Hospital managers at Southampton general hospital's Coxford Road site evacuated patients at around 8am this morning. Firefighters were called at 8.41 and extinguished a "small fire" in the north block.