THE Wiltshire Times' Save Our Hospital Beds petition will be handed over to health bosses on Monday.

Up to 2,000 people have added their names in support of the bid to save 12 inpatient beds at Melksham Community Hospital from closure. Half of the hospital's 24 beds have already closed and the remaining 12 are set to be axed in June, after two GPs ended their contracts to provide care.

The Wiltshire Times is urging anyone who still has petitions to send them in urgently so they can be added to the stack that will be handed over to West Wiltshire Primary Care Trust. Residents, shopkeepers and pubs across Melksham and the rest of the county have supported the bid to save the beds from closure.

Wiltshire Times editor Andy Sambidge said: "This campaign has received an incredible amount of support, showing how important the hospital is to thousands of our readers.

"It is important to remember this is not just an issue affecting Melksham but potentially the long-term future of community hospitals across west and north Wiltshire."

Petitions should be posted or brought into the Wiltshire Times offices at 15 Duke Street, Trowbridge, to arrive by Monday morning at the latest.