CAMPAIGNERS fighting for a new access road to Fairfield Hospital are on track to take their battle to Westminster in a bid to prevent lives being put at risk.

High on the agenda of the latest meeting of the Community Health Council was the long-running issue of another route in to the Rochdale Road based hospital.

The health watchdog body said they had enlisted the help of Bury South MP Ivan Lewis to ensure their views are heard at the very top. The CHC the borough's health watchdog body, has said it would push for a face to face meeting with the Secretary of State for Health Alan Milburn over the issue if necessary.

Members of the CHC claim that a new access route is essential to ensure lives are not put in danger. An independent report backed their fears that the present road conditions mean ambulances could face delays in getting to the hospital. However the CHC claims that their concerns are being played down by Bury Council and Bury and Rochdale Health Authority.

Paul Reynolds, chief officer of the CHC, said: "The road is dangerous. Only the other day, it took me over an hour to get up the road to the hospital because of a broken down bus which in itself is no big disaster but the effect it had on traffic was unbelievable."

He added: "Imagine an ambulance caught up in that it would have been catastrophic. But we are not getting any response from the council nor the local health authority. "

"I had hoped that the CHC, Bury Council and the local trust could together put the case to the Government but we are willing to go it alone we have done it before." he said.

Mr Lewis said that he supported the CHC's view that the issue of another access road needed addressing.

"Ultimately we may need Government assistance," he said.

"I want to bring the key people involved together and stage a series of meetings and find a way forward," said Mr Lewis.