The children's emergency department at King George Hospital, which was closed for overnight service throughout the winter, will now stay shut until June.

The temporary closure was supposed to last until April but Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) has today announced that it will be extended until June, when it is in a position to safely re-open with more staff.

The department will remain closed between 9pm and 9am, with parents advised that any child needing to be seen during those hours will be told to go to Queen’s Hospital in Rom Valley Way, Romford instead.

The ward was temporarily closed because there weren't enough doctors to provide specialist care overnight.

It will reopen overnight on Monday, June 7.