Telford & Wrekin’s two MPs today spoke out in defence of the Princess Royal Hospital and spelled out exactly why they were against any plans to downgrade it.

Wrekin Tory MP Mark Pritchard has begun a Save the PRH campaign and gathered a petition of more than 10,000 names objecting to the loss of any acute services from the hospital.

Telford Labour MP David Wright has also begun gathering names for a petition and this week launched his Say No to Shrewsbury Campaign to fight any move by health bosses to transfer services to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

The statements from the borough’s politicians came as a union boss added his support to Mr Pritchard’s campaign to stop any cuts in services at the PRH.

Robert O’Harney, West Midlands regional vice-chairman of the Public and Communication Services Union which represents many health staff, said: “We are fully behind his campaign to save key services.

“Telford is a growing population and accident and emergency services and children’s services are vital”.

Mr Pritchard today took his campaign onto the social networking site Facebook with the launch of a Save The PRH site.

Hadley and Leegomery Parish Council chairwoman Pat Smart also added her voice today to the growing opposition to any cuts. Mrs Smart, whose parish covers the PRH, claimed that there had been a move to transfer services over to Shrewsbury as far back as1998.

Following today’s announcement that Telford & Wrekin Council chiefs are poised to take county health bosses to judicial review, Councillor Keith Austin, leader of the Labour group, said: “This council is leading the fight for hospital services in the borough and I am certain that the many thousands of people who depend on the PRH will be right behind this council if we are forced to go down this route.”

Councillor Gill Green, leader of the Liberal Democrats and Independents, said: “People demand a process that is transparent and that makes sense.”

Councillor Vic Tonks, leader of the Telford & Wrekin People’s Association, said: “If the NHS goes ahead and makes a decision on the 2012/13 options as it’s being recommended to and moves key services to Shrewsbury, in any decision about 2020, the odds would be so greatly stacked against Telford and the PRH that this too would be a forgone conclusion.”