THE saga over the axing of Burnley’s A&E department goes on.

Today health bosses have revealed that 999 ambulances are set to return to Burnley.

The move is aimed at easing the pressure on the Royal Blackburn Hospital, which has been swamped by unprecedented numbers of patients.

Paremedics, after getting the consent of doctors, will be given the power to take patients not ill enough to need the A&E to Burnley’s urgent care centre.

Campaigners have welcomed the move, claiming it is just the start of the full A&E coming back to Burnley.

Their optimism is admirable, but such a return is highly unlikely.

Therefore the rows will continue.

Health chiefs insist that patient care has not been compromised by the changes.

But when people hear of Blackburn’s A&E struggling to cope with unprecedented numbers of patients, they are bound to treat the trust’s words with scepticism.

A&E had to shut for three hours one night last month because of the shear volume of patients.

Burnley and Blackburn’s former separate A&E departments never had to face such a closure.

So how do we move on from the constant rows and problems?

As we have said, a full, independent inquiry of the changeover – which has so far been denied – is the only way to bring this saga to a close.