CONTROVERSY over a hospital's decision to cancel the operation of a nine-year-old boy who later died while waiting for treatment is mounting.

It comes after it was revealed that Peter Buckle died following a fit while waiting for an operation to treat his epilepsy.

The youngster was due to have treatment in March, but because of financial problems at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, in London, it was cancelled and rescheduled for a date in April.

However, only a few days before the second appointment for surgery part of a ward was closed because of a bug - and the operation was postponed again.

It was while waiting anxiously for the operation rescheduled for June 10, that Peter died last week.

His parents, Peter, 39, and Judith, 42, of Evenwood, near Bishop Auckland, said the treatment the family had received from the hospital had been upsetting.

Mrs Buckle said: ''They were not at all sympathetic. The first operation was scheduled for March but that was cancelled about six weeks before. We never got a letter but we found out through the newspapers afterwards that Peter's operation was cancelled due to financial reasons."

The second operation was scheduled for April 22 and the family were due to travel to London on April 20.

But the day before they got a letter and a phone call saying it had been cancelled again.

'"There was an infection on the ward," said Mrs Buckle. "I have got to say that devastated us. We are always going to wonder if that operation would have saved his life. We will never know."

Peter's headteacher and social worker wrote to Great Ormond Street to find out why, but a reply was sent back addressed to them and not the family. Mrs Buckle said: "I had never had a personal letter to me from the hospital explaining everything and saying sorry."

A spokesman for Great Ormond Street said: "The operation was cancelled twice and this was partly due to the financial position of the hospital.

"We did have to cancel and reschedule a number of operations. They were rescheduled based on the clinical urgency of the case."