THE battle to save Bransford ambulance control centre is heading for the High Court, your Worcester News can exclusively reveal today.

A Letter Before Claim was due to be served on West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust today following its decision in November to close the centre. The letter states that the decision was "unlawful" and "likely to result in a court quashing the decision".

The trust has 14 days to respond and has been asked to reverse the decision, otherwise a Judicial Review will take place.

Your Worcester News led a lengthy campaign against the closure of Bransford Emergency Operations Centre, when more than 2,000 people signed a petition.

People were concerned that closing the centre could result in a loss of local knowledge and would ultimately endanger lives.

The Judicial Review is being brought about by staff at the Bransford centre and Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate Richard Burt. The claim has been lodged in the name of a concerned member of the public. Legal Aid has been granted, however, up to £5,000 will still need to be raised as a community contribution to cover some of the legal costs.

Staff spokesman Liz Kabani said: "We're delighted the legal team has given the green light for the application to go to Judicial Review. It's what we've been fighting for since November.

"The feeling that the public consultation had been conducted improperly and was damaged beyond repair grew with every meeting staff attended and every statement made by the trust board."

The trust made the decision in November to close Bransford, and a centre in Shrewsbury, in favour of creating two large centres at Brierley Hill and Stafford, with a support centre at Leamington Spa.

Thousands of people reacted angrily, expressing their views through the pages of your Worcester News.

The trust's consultation was also described as a "whitewash" after it counted the petition from your Worcester News as just one response in its analysis.

Mr Burt, who is standing for the parliamentary seat in West Worcestershire, which includes, at the next General Election, said: "The consultation exercise was flawed from start to finish and slanted towards the trust's own single proposal.

"Our quest has been to expose those flaws and demonstrate that the trust reached an unlawful decision. We want to get a fair hearing of all the alternatives and a decision that is right for Worcestershire, Herefordshire and for the West Midlands."

The trust has always insisted that the reconfiguration of its five Emergency Operations Centres would lead to a more resilient service, saying that the status quo was no longer safe.