MID-Worcestershire MP Pet-er Luff fears that the new hospital being planned for Evesham may be too small for the Vale community and for the needs of the whole county's NHS.

The Worcester News reported on Friday how Mike Ridley, chief executive of South Worcestershire Prim-ary Care Trust, revealed the town could have a brand new hospital by 2009.

But in a letter to Mr Ridley, opposing the proposals to close two wards and transfer services at the current hospital in a bid to save £4m, Mr Luff said he feared the intention of the Trust is to build a new hospital at Evesham roughly half the size of the present one.

"This is not acceptable," he said. "For years I have been reassured by the Trust and its predecessors that a new hospital would be provided for Evesham - I never imagined that what would be proposed would be such a pale shadow of what currently exists. I am more apprehensive than I have ever been about the health care of my constituents.

Mr Luff added that he felt campaigners were being driven into a corner.

"If we continue to resist the downsizing of the current Evesham hospital we will be told that we also oppose a new hospital. Then, when a decision is taken to remove all hospital services from Evesham, those of us who campaigned for a decent NHS will be told it's somehow all our fault.