CAMPAIGNERS have threatened legal action if health bosses go ahead with the closure of Heatherwood Hospital.

A lively debate at a special meeting of Royal Borough's health overview and scrutiny panel on Monday was attended by about 200 people, many of whom jeered trust chief executives, who said healthcare facilities could disappear completely from the Heatherwood site if the hospital is shut.

Philippa Slinger, chief executive of Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, confirmed there is no covenant on the land which restricts it to being used for health purposes.

Cllr Simon Dudley, the Royal Borough's lead member for adult and community services, said: "If decisions are made we don't agree with we will take all the necessary legal action to make sure as much as the hospital is preserved as possible." For more on this story, including possible competition between Heatherwood and the yet-to-be-built Bracknell Health Space, see the Ascot News, in shops now.