The emergency department at Addenbrooke's, where a burst pipe left the floor flooded.

Major incident declared at Addenbrooke’s Hospital after pipe bursts

Daniel Mansfield Wednesday, October 24, 2012
3:02 PM

A MAJOR incident has been declared at the emergency department at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.

A hot water pipe exploded shortly after 12.30pm and caused extensive flooding in the department’s resuscitation and assessment area, resulting in staff and patients being evacuated.

The hospital is advising people to use alternatives such as their GP or NHS Direct instead of heading to the hospital, unless they are “critically sick or severely injured.”

A spokesman for the hospital said there had been no injuries and the department remained open but capacity had been “severely affected”.

He said: “We are assessing the damage and also other areas in the hospital where patients can go and we are diverting ambulances to other hospitals.”