THE trust which runs Andover hospital has stepped into help out after a major incident was declared at Southampton General Hospital.

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation trust, has cancelled paediatric outpatient appointments and non-urgent operations at Royal Hampshire County Hospital for the rest of today as a result of the emergency.

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.

An electrical cable fault has been identified as the cause of the problem, and has been temporarily resolved.

Emergency patients were transported to Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital and Queen Alexandra Hospital, in Portsmouth, 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.