When will they ever learn? The breast cancer treatment service is one of the few high spots in a Brighton hospital service given a no-star rating by the Government last month.

So what is being planned for thousands of sick women who use this service every year? Move it 17 miles away to the Princess Royal Hospital at Haywards Heath.

It just doesn't make sense. That's why The Argus is today launching the Keep Breast Services In Brighton campaign.

The fuss over moving accident and emergency treatment for many people from Haywards Heath to Brighton should have warned health chiefs of vehement public opposition to this sort of proposal.

People want to be treated near to their homes.

Brighton and Hove has 250,000 people. There are another 50,000 in the small towns and villages nearby. It is one of the biggest coastal conurbations in the UK.

A city of this size should certainly have hospitals capable of treating all but the rarest forms of illness.

Breast cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in women. But the success rate in treatment is rising, especially in specialist treatment centres such as the Nigel Porter Unit for Breast Care at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

Already hundreds of women put their lives at risk each year by failing to keep appointments at the unit. This figure could rise if they have to go to Haywards Heath.

Consultants and hospital managers may not find it too inconvenient to drive as part of their jobs.

But it is not always so easy for patients or their loved ones visiting them, especially for the many thousands who do not have access to a car.

What's even crazier about this proposal is that women needing chemotherapy or radiotherapy will still have to travel back to Brighton for that treatment.

Surely it makes sense for these sick women to have all their treatment at one site.

Health bosses say the move is necessary if the service is to improve and expand, meeting Government targets.

But the Royal Sussex is being extended. There is also plenty of room at other hospital sites in or near Brighton.

It may suit all the administrators for Brighton to merge its services with those in Mid Sussex. But the coastal city has nothing in common with the commuter town and they are not even in the same county.

The final decision will be made in just a few days' time. It's urgent for all people in Brighton and Hove who feel strongly about this move to make their voices heard.

Health services are at a low point in Brighton and Hove at present. Many patients and their relatives feel administrators are not listening to their concern.

This time health chiefs have a golden chance to listen to public opinion, change their minds and keep the breast cancer service where it belongs - in Brighton.