The fight to save Huddersfield’s A & E service has reached a milestone.

More than 50,000 people have added their names to a Government petition to keep services at the town’s Royal Infirmary.

That’s more than halfway to the 100,000 needed to get the issues debated by MPs in Parliament.

The petition calls on the Government to prevent the closure of part of the A & E department at the Infirmary and the transfer of patients needing urgent care to Calderdale Royal Hospital.

It says: “Huddersfield is one of the largest town in northern England, the proposal is the closure of our A & E department and move services to Halifax.

“The road infrastructure will cause delays and potentially deaths and would cause a strain services within the Halifax A & E.”

There are also Facebook groups which have attracted tens of thousands of supporters and paper petitions launched by the Examiner, which have recorded many thousands of signatures.