VITAL operations at the Royal Blackburn Hospital have been cancelled because of a bed shortage.

Up to 20 patients were turned away from the hospital when they went for operations this week and were told there were no beds available because of emergency admissions.

Since November 1, under the Meeting Patients' Needs clinical services review, patients from all over East Lancashire, including Burnley, Rossendale and Pendle, have been taken to Blackburn for emergency surgery.

But the hospital said high emergency demand and staff sickness and not the restructure, and resulting increase in the number of emergency operations at the hospital, was responsible.

Second World War veteran Frederick Talbot, 82, of Leamington Road, Blackburn, will have to face Christmas in pain after his operation to remove stones from his prostate was cancelled at the last minute on Monday.

His daughter Kerena Arkwright, 51, took him to the hospital but the pair said they were kept waiting on the ward.

Mr Talbot was given a gown and pre-operative tests, but said at 10.30am they were told they had to go home because there was no longer a bed available.

He said: "They told me they'll get another date as soon as poss-ible but I wouldn't be surprised if they cancelled that too."

His daughter added: "There weren't problems like this when we had the old system. My dad fought for his country and paid taxes all his life, and for what?"

A Clayton-le-Moors woman, who asked not to be named, said she was setting off to the hospital at 10.30am on Monday for a vital operation when she was called to say it would be delayed. She said the hospital never called back, and it was only when she rang the hospital back five hours later she was told the surgery, to remove part of her bowel, was cancelled.

Val Bertenshaw, director of operations for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust apologised and said: "The Royal Blackburn Hospital has been experiencing high levels of emergency demand over the last couple of weeks. This in addition to high levels of staff sickness in our High Dependency Unit has led to the cancellation of some planned surgery.

"We are working hard to increase our capacity to ensure cancellations are minimised.

"For example, we have identified additional staffing to support the High Dependency Unit "There are also plans to open some additional beds on a temporary basis."