Supporters of Oswestry's maternity unit are being urged to sign an open letter to health bosses.

The letter to the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals (SaTH) Trust board and the governing body of Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) calls on them to not go ahead with the proposed closures of the county's rural midwife-led units (MLUs), namely Oswestry, Ludlow and Bridgnorth.

It comes from Liz Grayston, from Save Oswestry Maternity Unit, and her counterparts for Ludlow, Ally Hiles, and Bridgnorth, Bobbie Brown.

The letter states: "We have a simple message for the bosses of Shropshire CCG and SaTH: "Stop treating women and babies with contempt. Stop pretending that rural communities support your maternity cuts. Most importantly, start listening and call a halt to cuts that will place lives at risk.""

It added: "We do not support your plans. We do not want short-term closures, and we do not believe for one second that the solution to short-term closures in permanent closure. All we want is safe care - for women in Telford and Shrewsbury and women in rural areas."

Meanwhile, Shropshire CCG has confirmed NHS England has to give the go-ahead for a consultation on the proposal.

The letter is available via the Save Oswestry Maternity Unit Facebook page.