A STARK warning that somebody could die unless Fairfield Hospital gets a new approach road was given this week.

Leading campaigner Phil Kaiserman gave the alert at a public meeting in Bury on Tuesday (April 16) when he called for urgent action to solve the problem of the congested Rochdale Old Road access.

Speaking to nearly 100 people who answered a call to form an action group, the Bury Pensioners' Association chairman described the "mayhem" caused for 999 vehicles trying to reach Fairfield in a hurry, and added grimly:

"Who will apologise to the family when someone dies in the back of an ambulance?"

His words of caution were echoed by Bury Community Health Council's long-serving chief officer Paul Reynolds.

He warned that Fairfield might even risk losing its accident and emergency department unless a better road was provided to guarantee speedy access for ambulances.

"I am not being alarmist. We want the best for Bury and we have not always got it. And we won't get the best hospital unless another road is built," he said.

"Fairfield is a key unit in Greater Manchester and this issue is not just about the inadequacies of the road but about protecting Fairfield Hospital's future, keeping it viable and ensuring it develops.

"Without an accident and emergency department it could not."

Mr Reynolds said that the CHC had been concerned about the road issue for 20 years, back to when plans for one combined hospital for Bury were first announced, but were unable to realistically press for it then.

He said: "Had we fought for the road then the project would have gone over budget and that would have meant seeking private finance, which the CHC does not believe in. We sat on our hands until the hospital plans were finalised but now we are tackling the issue.

"We know that by 2010 road traffic will have increased by one third. Rochdale Old Road is inadequate now; by 2010 it will be impossible.

"The building of hospital roads is an everyday issue for the NHS and a new road would not be a major scheme for them. But we do need the support of Bury Council to get it."

Residents told the meeting about traffic chaos on Rochdale Old Road. One said that during the icy weather, conditions were so bad that he helped push ambulances up the road, including one on an emergency.

Carol Preece, who lives in Rochdale Old Road, said: "We can't wait four years for a road. I wouldn't want my relative in the that ambulance on that road.

"If that road is blocked off then there is no where for the ambulances to go. They cannot reach the hospital."

Neighbour Thomas Mahon added: "This road has been in chaos for decades and is one of the narrowest roads in Bury. Whoever planned this road could not have lived in Bury."

Coun John Byrne, leader of the council, told the meeting that the area had wider traffic management issues which needed addressing, together with the matter of a new hospital road.

Mr Kaiserman told the audience to exercise their power in the local elections on May 2.

A committee of six representing the public and various groups, including a tenants' association, was formed to take the campaign forward.

Tuesday's meeting, held at St. Bede's Social Club, just a short distance from the hospital, was organised by Bury Pensioners' Association in a bid to launch a pressure group to lobby for the new road.

Mr Kaiserman said that his members had already been out on the streets gathering support and had collected 3,000 signatures.

"This issue is particularly dear to the hearts of pensioners, who use the NHS more than any other sector of society," he said. "But the campaign needs broadening. Every second counts and paramedics can't do everything in an ambulance."