The ambulance service that covers Kent has declared a critical incident.

South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) has been forced to take action after "sustained pressure" on services.

Critical incidents are reserved for periods where both 999 and 111 helplines are under extreme pressure and forced to prioritise the most serious incidents.

A spokesman for the service urged the public to only call the emergency line in "life threatening emergencies".

"SECAmb took a decision yesterday evening, to declare a Critical Incident. This decision was taken following a period of more than a week of sustained pressure across both our 999 and 111 services which has significantly impacted on our ability to respond to patients," he added.

"We would like to thank all our staff and volunteers for their hard work and commitment in recent days in what continue to be extremely challenging circumstances.

"We urge the public to continue to call 999 in life-threatening emergencies as we prioritise our response to our most seriously ill and injured patients.

"People can continue to support us by seeking help and advice from alternatives including via NHS 111 Online at 111.nhs.uk, their own GP or by speaking to a pharmacist.

"Declaring a Critical Incident provides us with additional oversight and enables us to explore options including mutual aid, while focusing all efforts on frontline patient care.

"The situation will be kept under close review."

The NHS and emergency services have been coming under pressure across the UK with increased calls due to an outbreak of Strep A amongst children, among a number of other factors.

It comes as part of the ambulance service prepares for a day of industrial action, with GMB union members set to protest from 6am to midnight tomorrow.

A SECAmb spokesman stressed that the strike had not contributed to the declaration of a critical incident.

"We have worked with our local GMB Union branch to agree an approach for the days when industrial actions is taking place," he added.

"This has focussed on consideration to support colleagues’ right to take action in collaboration with potential impacts on patient care. The priority throughout has been balancing patient safety with the right to strike.

"As ever, we will be working hard to respond to patients and prioritising our response to our most seriously ill and injured patients."