Health Secretary says NHS have "adequate" supply of oxygen after hospital declared critical incident

His comments come after one hospital had to declare a critical incident on Saturday following a technical issue with oxygen equipment.

Speaking at today's Number 10 briefing, Matt Hancock said: "We have adequate supplies of the oxygen that's needed in hospitals, we need to make sure that each hospital has that available.

"We have had an equipment failure and we therefore had to divert some ambulances, but this is the normal operation of the NHS when there are things like equipment failures."

He added: "The quantity of oxygen and the supply of oxygen is something that we have been working very hard on and we have a very high degree of confidence in the supply of oxygen."

On Saturday, Watford General Hospital had to tell people not to attend after what the NHS called a technical issue.

West Hertfordshire NHS trust had transferred patients to other hospitals in the area and tweeted telling people not to go to A&E until further notice even in an emergency.

It advised people instead to visit other nearby hospitals or seek advice through the 111 helpline before the incident was stood down late in the evening.

Mr Hancock's sentiments were echoed by the deputy chief medical officer for England.

Dr Jenny Harries said: "We have a system of flagging where there are potential risks or problems before they actually become a significant problem.

"It is a strength of our system that we have these flags going off at regular intervals."

She added: "There is no insufficiency of oxygen the public should not be concerned."

Mr Hancock also urged the "small minority" of people who are breaking social distancing rules to change their behaviour, saying: "The more people follow the rules then the faster we will all be through this."

Matt Hancock added that the Government was "not planning any changes" imminently to the rules on exercising.

Earlier, Mr Hancock warned outdoor exercise could be banned if people continued to flout rules, as the coronavirus death toll rose sharply again.

It came ahead of a rare address from the Queen to the nation, in which she will urge the country to prove that this generation is "as strong as any".

In a televised message to be broadcast at 8pm this evening, the head of state will recognise the pain felt by many families living through this "time of disruption".

She will personally thank frontline NHS staff, care workers and others carrying out essential roles for their efforts, in what is expected to be a deeply personal message reflecting her experience in other difficult times.

Mr Hancock warned people not to flout rules around social distancing and said tougher restrictions could follow.

He added: "Following these rules is mission-critical if we're to protect the NHS, slow the spread and give the NHS time to expand capacity and so save lives.

"The more people follow the rules then the faster we will all be through this.

"So I say this to the small minority of people who are breaking the rules or pushing the boundaries: you're risking your own life and the lives of others and you're making it harder for us all."

Earlier, the Met Office confirmed Sunday as the warmest day of the year so far, with both Heathrow and Kew Gardens recording temperatures of 19.8C at 1pm.