Here are more than 16,000 reasons why NHS bosses should keep accident and emergency services at the Princess Royal Hospital.

This is the extraordinary number of people who have signed our Save Our A&E petition - and more signatures are still flooding in.

The huge level of support demonstrates how much our readers care about the fate of their health services.

They are sending a stark message to the NHS urging it to reconsider its plan to send seriously ill and injured people to Brighton instead of Haywards Heath.

A total of 16,196 people have signed petitions against the plans. The signatures will be wrapped in a bundle and delivered to the Princess Royal in Haywards Heath next Friday.

The date coincides with the end of the discussion period which was announced by NHS managers who will then decide what plans to put out for formal consultation.

The message the Argus has had pouring through its postbox is clear: that there is genuine concern about lives being lost by the change in major casualty services.

Dame Vera Lynn, who lives in Ditchling and has been one of the leading campaigners against the proposed downgrading, said: "This figure sounds very good and we now need to press on and get more and more people to sign and make their feelings known.

"I hope this response will help people sit up and take notice because lots of people will be affected in towns round here, including Hassocks, Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath and Crawley."

Campaigner Anne Jones, a Mid Sussex District Council member, who started a separate petition against the plans, welcomed the news.

She said: "I think this is fantastic. It is wonderful news - 16,000 is a great number and a great level of support. I do not think we will be able to match that sort of figure.

"I still think there is a lot more work to do in Brighton and Hove, because I know there are people in Hove that do not even know that this is happening."

She said their petition would be delivered at the same time as ours and it already has more than 5,000 signatures.

The Save Our A&E campaign kicked off on July 5 with consultant Derek Harborne warning that downgrading would mean journey times for patients would increase if plans went ahead.

Health bosses are considering three options - changing nothing; closing A&E at the Princess Royal and treating all casualty patients at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and other hospitals; or admitting some A&E patients, such as heart attack victims and asthma sufferers, to the Princess Royal. Others needing emergency surgery would go to the Royal Sussex, the East Surrey Hospital at Redhill, or elsewhere.

Members of West Sussex County Council warned last month that all accident and emergency units could soon be closed as more hospitals are downgraded.

A number of celebrities have also joined the campaign, including actress Judy Parfitt, who lives in Hurstpierpoint and signed our petition.

The Central Sussex Review Board published a discussion document on services at the Princess Royal and held a series of public meetings.

Once the discussion period runs out, the review board, including representatives from health authorities, NHS trusts, community health councils, care groups, Sussex Ambulance Service and the NHS Executive regional office, will decide its next step.

To add to the protest, send your petition forms to Sarah Carpenter at Argus House, Crowhurst Road, Brighton BN1 8AR.

The deadline for petitions was yesterday but we will accept more if you get them in quickly.

Forms are still available at our district office at 5 Church Road, Burgess Hill. Tel: 01444 233092.