THE A&E department at the Royal Berkshire Hospital is now fully reopened after three days without water or power.

Temporary generators are powering the hospital while the mains circuits are fixed but it remains on internal incident alert and is under 'extreme pressure', hospital bosses say.

Some patients who had to be evacuated from the Battle Block and North Block have now been returned to the wards.

They had been transported to other wards or hospitals or picked by family after a fire outed the block's power on Thursday.

Mary Sherry, Chief Operating Officer for Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We can confirm that we have restored full power to Battle Block and North Block using temporary generators. These generators will remain in place until our main circuits/power boards are secure and fixed. In a phased approach, we have started to return patients to Battle and North Blocks. Our A&E has now fully reopened. 

“The hospital, however, still remains on internal incident alert and is still under extreme pressure and we would urge people with non-emergency concerns to consider other suitable alternatives. 

“I would like to recognise the personal commitment of our staff over the last three days during which they have had to deal with a number of challenging situations. 

"I would also like to thank our patients and their relatives for bearing with us during this time. 

"We have really appreciated the help and support given to us by neighbouring hospitals, SCAS, community services, walk in centres and the Red Cross."