WHAT a surprise! We all knew that the option that the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust would choose would be the one that resulted in hospital services being decimated at Burnley General Hospital.

Let us get one thing straight, despite what the Chief Executive of the East Lancashire NHS Trust and the Chairman of the Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale PCT may say, this is all about saving money.

Indeed, it was interesting to read recently that Ernst and Young, the financial consultancy, was involved in advising the trust on the various options under review.

It beggars belief that these people can insult our intelligence by suggesting that the people of this area will be provided with better services.

How can we believe a trust (what an appropriate name that is) that, I understand, gave an undertaking when the two local hospital trusts were merged, that services at Burnley would not be reduced as a result of the merger.

I hope that all who care about the health service provisions in this area including our local MPs, councillors, hospital workers and members of the general public will united to defeat these idiotic plans.

Our very lives depend upon it!

ALAN THORBURN, Thirlmere Road, Burnley.