FENLAND has joined the fight to save Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Huntingdon, with council leader Geoff Harper joining a protest on the steps of 10 Downing Street. Cllr Harper, who will also introduced a debate at this week s meeting of Fenland Council, joine

FENLAND has joined the fight to save Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Huntingdon, with council leader Geoff Harper joining a protest on the steps of 10 Downing Street.

Cllr Harper, who will also introduced a debate at this week's meeting of Fenland Council, joined a small group of civic leaders from Huntingdon and the Fens to hand in a petition to the Prime Minister Tony Blair..

Huntingdon MP Jonathan Djanogly is due in the House on Thursday to introduce the petition signed by more than 55,000 people.

The petition was presented to the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, at 10 Downing Street on Monday by Mr Djanogly.

With him and Cllr Harper were Shailesh Vara, MP for North West Cambridgeshire, Councillor Ian Bates, the leader of Huntingdonshire District Council and the branch secretary for Unison, the hospital trades union, Mike Gough.

Addressed to The House of Commons, the petition reads: "We the undersigned, being residents of Huntingdonshire and Cambridgeshire, deplore the consideration being given to the reduction of services at, or the closure of, Hinchingbrooke Hospital."

The petition declares that Huntingdonshire and Cambridgeshire are areas that require more health facilities, not less and it calls on the Government to honour its commitments to the country's health services by retaining all the existing services at Hinchingbrooke Hospital.

It ends by saying: "The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons takes note of their views and ask the Government to act accordingly."

Mr Djanogly, who will read out the wording of the petition to the Commons and say how many people have signed it, told the Cambs Times and Wisbech Standard: "The sheer number of signatures is in some way humbling.

"When you are an MP you make decisions on behalf of your constituents and this level of support gives you enormous confidence that you are tackling the issues you should be."

He added: "We have not yet had the options from the strategic health authority. This petition is just setting the ground for the campaign we will launch if we are not happy with their proposals.