DOZENS of protesters made their voices heard at a protest against the closure of the borough's only accident and emergency (A&E) ward this weekend.

People gathered outside Ilford Town Hall on Saturday January 9 to demonstrate their opposition to the proposal to shut the service at King George Hospital in Ilford.

Former mayor of Redbridge Councillor Lorraine Sladden and activist Wilson Chowdhry joined a large number of local residents who are opposed to diverting resources from the existing A&E to the centres at Queens in Romford.

More than 500 people have signed a petition against the closure, including Ilford North MP Lee Scott and Ilford South MP Mike Gapes.

Critics of the plan – proposed by Health for North East London (NEL) – say the increased journey times for patients represent a significant risk to the lives of people requiring urgent medical attention, and that sending patients to either Queens or Whipps Cross in Leytonstone is simply not a viable alternative to A&E care in the borough.

The recent spell of extremely cold weather had seen a rise in admissions to the A&E at King George, which campaigners say highlights how the system is already over-burdened before any changes are made.

A Health for NEL spokesperson said: "The proposals we are currently consulting on have been developed by local doctors to significantly improve the way we provide health services across north east London.

"We understand that people feel very strongly about their local health services and that is exactly why they should respond to this important consultation and give us their views about how care could be best improved. In the coming weeks there are a range of events for local people to get involved and these will be widely publicised.

"Health services in north east London can not stay as they are – patients have told us they want better services and the current way we provide care is simply not sustainable. The changes we have proposed will save lives and significantly improve the health of our local communities. We therefore urge local people to take this opportunity to get involved and help us plan for a better health service."