The Argus today launches a petition to save the accident and emergency department at a major Sussex hospital.

Health chiefs want to downgrade the A&E at the Princess Royal in Haywards Heath to an emergency treatment centre, meaning many casualties - including road crash victims - would be taken instead to the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton.

Since revealing details of the proposals - which were officially confirmed at a Press conference yesterday - we have been inundated with letters and e-mails from outraged readers.

Some people, such as heart attack victims and asthma patients, would continue to be treated at the Princess Royal.

That will be little comfort to the relatives of anyone who dies while their ambulance gets stuck in traffic around Brighton. Some journey times will inevitably increase and we believe those delays will cost lives. Even one death as a result of the proposals will be one death too many.

The Royal Sussex County is already overstretched. And with the demise of A&E at Crawley Hospital, is it sensible to do away with the last A&E department between Brighton and Redhill, especially when thousands more homes are planned?

Dame Vera Lynn, who lives in Ditchling, is urging people to sign the Argus petition.

She said: "This is a big residential area now. There are a lot of people here.

"The last thing you want if you have an accident is to be detained in traffic going to Brighton. To have a lack of general accident and emergency care between Brighton and Redhill is crazy."

Please sign our petition and ask your friends, neighbours and work colleagues to sign it too.

Health chiefs say they have not made a final decision and are prepared to listen to public opinion. We are prepared to take them at their word.

Let us show them public opinion is overwhelmingly on the side of a rethink.

Together we can make a difference.