An East Lancashire MP has said she is going to take the fight to the Chancellor's office after her constituency's hospital was closed due to it being unsafe for staff or patients.

Hyndburn MP, Sarah Smith, blamed a “catastrophic inheritance” from previous Conservative governments after it was revealed the historic, but falling down, Accrington Victoria Community Hospital would shut.

Last week East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) announced the closure due to safety concerns and issues it said were “beyond repair”.

Services delivered at the historic site will now be moved to other health centres in the borough, with plans to save the building though not for healthcare.

Speaking at the weekend, Labour backbencher Mrs Smith said: “I’m obviously incredibly angry.

“It’s been previous Labour MPs and councillors that have led the campaign to retain services.

“This is further evidence of the catastrophic inheritance we have received from the Conservatives, with a lack of capital spending in the NHS for more than a decade.”

Mrs Smith is a member of the Labour Growth Group, which comprises more than 80 MPs, and is calling on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to change fiscal rules and commit more funds to the NHS at the Budget later this month.

“We’re calling on Rachel Reeves to push through with changing the rules and spend more,” Ms Smith added.

“We know to get people back to work the NHS needs to be working.”

She added: “I’m looking forward to working with the government to make sure the future of Accrington Victoria is secured, but in the meantime, I’m fighting hard to make sure all the existing services are retained locally for my constituents.”

ELHT said the hospital in Haywood Road, Accrington, was in a "critical condition" with its roof collapsing, large parts of the hospital closed, asbestos present and two of its three boilers out of action.

While no longer fit for use as a hospital, ELHT has said it is aiming to ensure the building, which dates back 130 years, is "preserved for generations to come".

ELHT chief executive, Martin Hodgson, said: “I know how strongly people in Accrington feel about the hospital and I want to respect and recognise its incredible history, right at the heart of the town since 1894 and certainly before the NHS began.  

 “I am so sorry we have to move out, but the simple truth is the building is beyond repair or reconfiguration as a health care facility and we have been unable to keep on top of the immense, routine maintenance required for quite some time.  

 “Large parts of it are closed, the roof has collapsed in a number of places, it’s full of asbestos and the heating system originally fired by three boilers is down to one, which if it fails simply cannot be repaired.

"It is dangerous to remain there as we head into winter and, sadly, the building no longer provides the kind of environment we need for patients or our teams.”