KENNET and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust wants to close Malmesbury Maternity Unit and remove birthing and in-patient post natal facilities from Devizes Maternity Unit because it says they are expensive to run.

But what the report, which the trust considered on Tuesday, fails to say is how much money would be saved if the proposals go ahead.

The report, written jointly by Phil Day, the trust's director of community services and Corsham GP Dr Simon Burrell, a member of the trust's board, also fails to mention how much it would cost to build purpose-built maternity units at the proposed new hospitals at Devizes and Malmesbury.

It is this lack of detail that leaves maternity campaigners and midwives cynical that the proposed reductions at both units are a fait accompli.

One midwife said: "This report shows that the PCT has been planning to close both units all along irrespective of the public support.

"I don't see how the proposals will save money as we know that many women will opt for home births if they can't give birth at Devizes or Malmesbury."

The report recognises this but it does not say how it will cope with midwife staffing. For each home birth two midwives are required to be present.

The long awaited results of the survey of mothers by the trust is also included in the report.

Just under half of the 2,338 questionnaires were returned to the University of Bath who carried out the survey on behalf of the trust.

It showed that women from Cricklade, Purton, Wootton Bassett, Pewsey and Marlborough were more likely than those from other community areas to have their babies in a district general hospital, mostly in Swindon, while a community midwife unit delivery was more likely for Devizes women.

Julianna Beardsmore of Malmesbury National Childbirth Trust said: "The PCT has made no effort to increase the births at Malmesbury and Devizes by publicising the units.

"The fight is not over. This is going against the Government's select committee on health which stated that midwife led units should not be closed on the grounds of cost alone and should not be considered for closure until the impact on post natal care, depression and breast feeding rates is taken into account.

"How much money will these proposals save? Both Malmesbury and Devizes hospitals have plans for rebuild and they could be rebuilt in much more economic buildings."