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NHS Borders has cancelled routine operations for the week due to "extreme pressures" at its main hospital.

Chief executive Ralph Roberts said the Borders General, near Melrose, was at capacity and its emergency department was also "exceptionally busy".

There is also a Covid outbreak in one of its wards as well as at the Hay Lodge Hospital in Peebles.

Mr Roberts said everything possible would be done to ensure cancer and emergency surgery continued.

"This is a very challenging situation and our staff are working round the clock to care for their patients," he said.

"Our surge capacity plans are in place and we can assure you that we are doing everything we can to make beds available and continue with planned operations as soon as we can."

He asked the public to do everything they could to help by calling NHS 24 before attending the emergency department.

"You may need to wait a while for your call to be answered or for a member of the team to call you back, but this can be done in the comfort of your own home," he said.

"If you do need to be seen you may be given an appointment time to minimise the time you need to spend in the department.

"This also reduces pressure on our team."

However, he stressed that anyone who thought their condition was immediately life threatening should call 999.

Mr Roberts also asked the public to help ensure family members could get home as quickly as possible when they were fit to be discharged.