EIGHT out of nine wards remain closed to new patients at a Scots hospital where one- third of patients have contracted norovirus.

NHS Lothian issued a statement thanking the public for their co-operation as it moved to impose a temporary ban on visitors in the wake of the winter vomiting bug outbreak, which has struck 151 patients at Liberton Hospital, Edinburgh. Seventeen members of staff have also contracted it.

The health board said yesterday that relatives and friends had been contacted by staff and advised not to visit the hospital, which provides acute, rehabilitation and ongoing care for older people.

The board said: "The situation is being continually monitored."