A "large number" of hospitals are cancelling cancer operations this winter, the president of the Royal College of Surgeons has said, revealing the extent of the NHS crisis.

Clare Marx said cancer surgery was no longer protected in the health service and hospitals had been cancelling operations since the beginning of the year.

"Historically, they have been protected due to their urgent nature," she told The Observer. "However, feedback from our members suggests that since the start of January, a large number of hospitals across the UK are now cancelling cancer surgery.