ANGRY union leaders staged a mock Christmas display to protest against use of private firms in the NHS.

Shoppers in Blackburn town centre saw Santa hand out lucrative contracts to "fat cats" wearing bowler hats.

Saturday's protest was organised by the Blackburn Trade Union Council and the union collective East Lancashire NHS Together.

Tom Fallows, a member of both groups, said: "We are concerned that profits will come before patient care if there is money to be made from the NHS.

"The NHS has a tremendous reputation and I think it is going into an unknown quantity with private companies."

He said that the protest was a "huge success" and more than 2,000 people had signed their petitions.

Mr Fallows, who spent the day dressed as Santa, said: "We had people queuing up to support us and talk about what is happening.

"There was so much interest that after two hours we ran out of space on the petitions.

"This issue affects the whole of East Lancashire and is something patients are very worried about."

Private healthcare firms are being used to treat patients with NHS cash.

People in East Lancashire are now given the choice of up to five places to get hospital treatment when they see their GP - including one private firm.

And next year more than 30,000 minor treatments will be carried out by private firms using taxpayers' cash in East Lancashire.

This is part of a UK-wide contract worth £3billion.

The new £113million Royal Blackburn Hospital has also been built under the controversial Private Finance Initiative as has the new Burnley General Hospital phase five.

PFI is where a consortium of private businesses pay for the hospital - and the NHS pays it back plus interest.

Mr Fallows said: "We are trying to say to the public that the NHS is going to change dramatically. You will not be seeing people working directly for the NHS, there will be a profit motive, not what is best for the patient."