The number of nurses coming to work in Britain from EU countries has fallen from 10,000 a year to just 1,000 since the Brexit vote, new figures show.

Last night NHS chiefs and nursing leaders said the statistics were "alarming" and said urgent action was needed to tackle "intolerable pressures" on existing staff.

The statistics from the Nursing and Midwifery Council show the numbers of nurses coming to the UK from other European countries have fallen by 89 per cent in a year.

Meanwhile the number of such nurses leaving Britain rose by 67 per cent, in the 12 months ending in September, the statistics show.

Overall, the number of nurses leaving the NMC's register is higher than the number joining, the statistics show.

The regulator has said the introduction of tougher language tests may also have influenced the trends.

The figures show 1,107 new nurses joined the register from other EU countries in the 12 months ending this September.

This compares with 10,178 the year before.

Meanwhile the number of UK graduates leaving the profession has increased by nine percent.

Jackie Smith, NMC chief executive said the trends were "worrying", with numbers of UK and EU registrants both dropping.

She said the NHS had "major challenges" recruiting and retaining staff.