CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save Littlehampton Hospital are furious over a recommendation to axe all beds there.

Members of the West Sussex Health Authority community hospitals review steering group were today discussing a number of proposals for the hospital.

And campaigners fear that the favoured option is to transfer all beds at Littlehampton to the Zachary Merton Hospital in Rustington.

According to a report drawn up by Professor Nick Bosanquet from Imperial College, London, Littlehampton Hospital would then provide a range of community health services.

But campaigners are against the proposal and say the hospital beds must stay open. They were outraged last year when the health authority closed 12 of the hospital's 27 beds and axed its night casualty department as part of cuts to save a total of £2.85 million across the county.

In a campaign headed by the then mayor, Rosemary Orpin, and her former deputy, Mike Northeast, opponents and residents staged demonstrations and even took their case to the High Court.

But their bid to seek leave for a judicial review failed and the town council was left with a £14,000 legal bill.

Coun Orpin, whose husband died at Littlehampton Hospital in February after a battle with cancer, said: "I have seen the report and I'm totally against this.

"I'm very worried about what could happen to the hospital. You can't have a hospital with no beds.

"This is very depressing. The health authority is not listening to local opinion."

Littlehampton Hospital was given to the people of the town by the Duke of Norfolk at the time of the First World War with a covenant that it should always be used as a hospital.

No one at the health authority was available for comment.

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