PLANS to move a hospital unit for leukaemia patients from one North-East town to another were last night described as a disgrace by angry fundraisers.

A committee of volunteers raised almost £300,000 during the late 1980s to have the haematology unit opened at Darlington Memorial Hospital, so cancer sufferers in the town would not have to travel to Newcastle for overnight treatment.

But The Northern Echo can reveal that bosses at County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust want to move the six-bed in-patient unit to Bishop Auckland and merge it with the six-bed in-patient unit there.

Liz Metcalfe, a member of the fundraising committee, said they would fight the proposals.

"The whole of Darlington and the dales raised the money for this unit," she said.

"Everybody did it, and now they are wanting to shift it. I think it's an absolute disgrace."

Joan Scotter, secretary of the fund, said: "We raised £290,000 in three years. That's why I'm really gutted to think all this is going to be in vain.

"We can't let it happen. A lot of people put a lot of hard work into it."

Darlington councillor Heather Scott, who started the fund when she was mayor of the town, and was its chairwoman, said: "We set it up originally in Darlington to avoid patients and visitors having to travel all the way to Newcastle.

"From our point of view as fundraisers, they have had no consultation with us."

The change has been recommended by some doctors and nurses - though the unit's consultant haematologist, Dr Peter Williamson, is against it. He said he would prefer the in-patient unit to stay at the Memorial, close to other acute services such as gynaecology and the ear, nose and throat department.

"There is a need to have the in-patient unit on one site," he said. "But there are fairly convincing arguments for putting it in Darlington, rather than Bishop Auckland."

A trust spokesman said: "A group of doctors and nurses from the trust has been looking at the future of haematology inpatient services.

"The majority have agreed in principle that these should in future be provided from Bishop Auckland General Hospital.

"All other forms of treatment, such as out-patients and day cases, will continue at both Darlington and Bishop Auckland."

He said the feasibility of the move would be assessed before a decision was made.

"We are grateful for the past and present generosity of the people of Darlington towards the unit," he added. "Our priority in planning for the future, however, must be to ensure the best quality of care for patients in south Durham and Darlington."