BASINGSTOKE and North Hampshire Hospital's A&E figures saw a huge drop in attendance over the weekend as pubgoers were snapped downing their first pint in the town, Hampshire Hospitals have revealed.

There was only 160 people who visited Basingstoke's A&E department on Saturday July 4 and Sunday July 5, compared to an average attendance of around 200 patients over the weekend in the last month.

Pre-Covid, an average Saturday night saw 239 patients walk through the Hospital's doors in June 2019.

The news comes after there were 28,940 confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England during the pandemic.

A HHFT spokesperson said: “This past weekend, we saw around 160 people attend our emergency department in Basingstoke on Saturday and again on Sunday, compared to an average attendance of around 200 on both Saturday and Sunday over the past four weeks.

“Our staff continue to work incredibly hard to care for everyone who comes to the front doors of our hospitals.

"It remains really important that members of the public remember to use the right service to get the care and advice they need, whether that’s our emergency departments, calling 111 or visiting their GP or local pharmacy.”