AN MP was branded "Judas" by hecklers as he took to the podium at a rally in support of Hartlepool hospital.

Iain Wright was heckled as he spoke at the Valentine's Day protest, organised by the Save Our Hospital campaign in the town.

The Labour MP told the 350-strong crowd in Victory Square on Saturday that he was planning to meet Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt soon to ask for the University Hospital of Hartlepool to be restored to a full-service hospital.

And he pledged to fight for it if re-elected.

Protestors are angry at the fact that many services - including Accident and Emergency - were closed down at Hartlepool, meaning people must travel to the University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton for treatment.

The plan under the last Labour government was to close both hospitals and build a £300m new hospital at Wynyard but this was put on hold by the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust last year due to lack of funding from the coalition government.

Rally organiser, Michelle McIntryre, said afterwards that protestors were angry because Mr Wright had supported the plan for Wynyard Hospital.

She said: "Now he is saying it isn't going to happen. But we felt he didn't do enough to save Hartlepool.

"We never wanted Wynyard. Stockton needs their hospital, we need our hospital."

Mr Wright told The Northern Echo afterwards: "I live in town and I know the strength of feeling about getting services returned to Hartlepool. Wynyard isn't going to go ahead. In the event of Wynyard not going ahead, services have to be returned back into Hartlepool.

"We need to ensure the local NHS trust listens to the people and the strength of feeling there is here."

Other speakers included Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Hartlepool Richard Royal, UKIP candidate Philip Broughton and Michael Holt, who is standing for the Green Party.

Mr Royal and Mr Broughton also faced heckling from the crowd.

The protest co-ordinated with a national day of action by the 999 Call for the NHS movement, which is campaigning against cuts to the service.

The Darlington Trades Union Council took up the call for action by organising a stall on Darlington High Row with leafleting and petitioning to try to highlight to the public how they feel the NHS is being changed for the worse.

The union was supported by several anti-austerity organisations including the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition, the Green Party and 38 degrees.