Cumbrian hospital campaigners have today taken their fight to save services and beds direct to the Government.

A group of seven local activists - who are protesting against cuts to services at the West Cumberland Hospital and cottage hospital bed closures - travelled to London for the meeting at the Department of Health.

It has been organised by Copeland MP Jamie Reed after Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt declined an invite to visit north and west Cumbria - where bosses are currently drawing up controversial plans to transform the troubled local NHS.

Instead they were due to meet the Secretary of State in London, but he cancelled with less than 24 hours notice - amidst reports he is considering making a bid to become Conservative party leader - much to the anger of the campaigners.

Determined to make their voices heard, the group today hand-delivered a letter to Mr Hunt's offices, and met with his stand-in, Ben Gummer, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Care Quality.

During the meeting members of the We Need West Cumberland Hospital campaign group - Siobhan Gearing, Rachel Holliday, Lynne Davies and her 13-year-old daughter Molly - presented a confidential document they have drawn up alongside local mothers.

It aims to hit home the need for consultant-led maternity services in Whitehaven by detailing real life stories where babies, mums or both would not have survived the 40-mile journey to Carlisle when things went wrong.

Retired consultant Mahesh Dhebar was also part of the delegation, presenting another collection of patient stories to highlight the importance of A&E, intensive care, emergency surgery, children's ward and other services to the area.

Also at the meeting were community hospital activist Mike Bulman, of the Keswick League of Friends group, who set out the importance of cottage hospital beds in rural Cumbria, and Carole Woodman, of the West Cumbria Voice group, which is also working to protect the area's health services on behalf of the community.

Following the meeting, Mr Bulman said: "We just want them to understand that that these in-patient beds are of paramount importance.

"In Keswick, our GPs have pathfinder status so they can triage patients and decide if they need to go to Carlisle or not, reducing pressure of the acute hospital.

"If only they could see it."

Mr Reed led the delegation, showing the group around Parliament before taking them to the Department of Health meeting.

He said it was important that the Government fully understands the challenges facing the NHS in north and west Cumbria, which is why he originally invited the Health Secretary to visit.

After the invite was declined, he instead decided to take campaigners with him to London - saying that if ministers wouldn't come to Cumbria, Cumbria would go to them.

He described Mr Hunt's short notice cancellation as "an insult".

The Health Secretary has instead offered to meet campaigners next week.