NHS England's medical director said hospitals in the North West and North East could end up treating more patients than they did during the peak of the first wave of Covid-19.

Professor Stephen Powis said hospitals are coming under increasing pressure as he announced plans for three temporary Nightingale hospitals to mobilise to deal with any surge in admissions.

In a stark address to the public at the Downing Street press briefing, Prof Powis said the NHS is open for all patients but keeping coronavirus infections under control is the key to other patients getting the treatment they need.

"Liverpool University Hospital has the highest number of Covid-19 patients, currently more than 250 patients with Covid in its beds," he said.

"And in the last four weeks, hospitals in the North West and the North East have witnessed a seven-fold increase in Covid patients in their intensive care units.

"And if infections continue to rise, in just four more weeks they could be treating more patients than they were during the peak of the first wave."

Dr Jane Eddleston, an intensive care consultant at Manchester Royal Infirmary, told the briefing the North West has about 40 per cent of Covid-19 cases at the moment, "and this is proving very challenging for us".

She added: "Within Greater Manchester, we have seen a three-fold increase in the number of patients admitted to intensive care in the last five weeks and an eight-fold increase in the number of patients admitted to our hospitals.

"The situation at the moment is that 30 per cent of our critical care beds are taken up with patients with Covid and this is starting to impact on the services we provide for other patients."