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The Southern Health Trust has denied claims that the emergency department at Craigavon Area Hospital faced critical overcrowding on Wednesday.

The trust acknowledged that the department had been very busy after a "significant rise in demand".

It added that while the most urgent cases were being prioritised, waiting times had been longer than they would have wished.

A representative from the health union Unison said staff felt "burnt out".

"There were 29 patients waiting on beds and there was 91 in the department this afternoon," said John Creaney.

"It hasn't eased from 27 December and the information I'm getting currently from staff is that it's getting worse.

"Staff nurses are saying it's going against their registration, it's critical."

The trust said that the emergency department had been "very busy this week".

"We would like to thank staff throughout our hospitals and across our community services for their continued dedication and commitment to their patients and clients during this particularly challenging time, and once again appeal to people to only come to the emergency department with serious and urgent symptoms, it said."