Britons were last night urged not to mix with loved ones if they feel unwell over Christmas to avoid passing on illnesses and overwhelming the NHS.
The health service is braced for its 'darkest' ever festive period as it battles a flu surge, a bed-blocking crisis and the aftermath of strikes.
Bosses warn the service is going into the weekend with an unsafe number of patients on wards, skeleton staffing levels and is 'dangerously close to overheating completely'.
It comes as ambulance handover delays at A&E are the worst on record, leaving crews unable to respond to new 999 calls for hours at a time.

And enquiries to the NHS 111 helpline are approaching an all-time high, with worried parents seeking advice on the Strep A outbreak raging through schools.
Saffron Cordery, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: 'Trust leaders are expecting this Christmas to be one of their darkest to date.'




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Bosses warn the service is going into the weekend with an unsafe number of patients on wards, skeleton staffing levels and is 'dangerously close to overheating completely'