CAMPAIGNERS are stepping up their fight to stop the closure of a Darlington hospital unit.

New action was agreed at a public meeting on Wednesday called by a group fighting plans to switch the Memorial Hospital's haematology unit to a centralised department at Bishop Auckland.

Darlington councillor Heather Scott said a letter would be sent to the County Durham and Darlington Acute NHS Trust saying campaigners should be consulted before a final decision is made.

The group is urging as many people as possible to attend a meeting of a health scrutiny committee in Darlington at which trust chief executive John Saxby will be questioned on the scheme.

After that, another public meeting will be called as a number of campaigners were unable to attend this week's session because of the bad weather.

The trust wants to merge two haematology units into one because they are each run by one consultant only.

This would mean closing the Darlington centre, opened 16 years ago after fundraising raised £300,000 to set it up.

It was opened so leukaemia patients would not have to travel to Newcastle for in-patient treatment.

Coun Scott said even the medical fraternity did not favour the move.

"If they had said it would not be detrimental to Darlington we would accept that," she said.

About 25 people turned up at the college of technology. "Considering the bad weather that was good," said Coun Scott, chairman of the original campaign.

She also praised Kathy Botham, wife of cricketer Ian Botham, for attending.

Mrs Botham, who was patron of the fundraising appeal, criticised the trust for "not having the guts to come and speak to the people."

The scrutiny meeting is on March 7 at Darlington Town Hall.

"After that we might call another public meeting before the matter goes to the trust board for a decision in April," said Coun Scott.

She is hopeful something can be done to stop the move.

"We want to know what's behind this scheme and they need to prove it is in the best interests of the people of Darlington. If they can do that there will be no argument," she said.

"I am pleased the issue is coming before the scrutiny committee. It shows that this is a not a political issue but one of public interest."

A report on the proposed move was studied by the trust board this week.

Members heard that day case and in-patient provision of haematology services would be unchanged at both Darlington and Bishop Auckland.

The report said these accounted for 95pc of total activity as new drug regimes enabled more people to be treated as day cases.