MUSGROVE Park Hospital suffered a "local network issue" affecting phone lines and causing appointments to be cancelled on Tuesday.

Somerset Maternity Services reported that its Maternity Triage Line was down for some of the day, with an alternative number provided to expectant mothers.

Meanwhile, a number of the Taunton hospital's patients reported long-delayed or cancelled appointments.

A spokesperson for Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, said on Tuesday afternoon, August 20: “This morning we experienced a local network issue, which affected our telephone lines, some clinical systems, and emails.

"This meant we needed to rearrange a small number of patient appointments and we apologise for the inconvenience this has caused.

“The phone lines are now back up and running, and all systems are back online.”