Critically ill patients will have to travel up to 20 miles to get to their nearest accident and emergency (A&E) department.

Ambulance crews warn lives could be put at risk when A&E at Crawley Hospital is closed this summer.

Emergency patients from Crawley, Horsham and East Grinstead will be taken to East Surrey Hospital in Redhill instead.

The A&E department at Crawley will become a minor injuries unit. There is already a similar unit at Horsham Hospital.

Ambulance crews are unhappy at the length of time it could take them to get seriously ill people to A&E.

Duncan Jones, Unison branch secretary for Sussex Ambulance, said they had real concerns about the service they would be able to provide.

In a letter to The Argus he said: "Despite the promise of additional resources for the Sussex Ambulance Service to cope with the increase in demand, the very fact patients will have to travel further to receive the appropriate treatment in itself presents potentially serious consequences for those in need of emergency medical attention.

"For seriously ill or injured patients, the priority for ambulance staff is still to get the patient to hospital as quickly as possible.

"Therefore, it is difficult for paramedics and technicians to feel reassured about the loss of Crawley's A&E department when they know the time it will take to get some patients to hospital is going to increase substantially.

"Despite the assertions made by doctors with regard to safe and efficient health services, many ambulance staff remain unconvinced the changes to A&E provision in the area will lead to improvements in emergency medical care for the people of Crawley, Horsham and Mid Sussex."

Senior doctors in Crawley insist the changes will mean patients will get the best possible care.

The A&E department at East Surrey will be expanded to provide comprehensive specialist medical and surgical care on one site. Doctors say ambulances are equipped to high standards and crews are well trained to deal with serious illness and injury.

Losing the A&E department is the latest in a series of blows for campaigners fighting to improve hospital services in Crawley.

In January 2001 Crawley's maternity unit was transferred to Redhill and its children's emergency and in-patient services were closed last October. Day care services for children and antenatal and postnatal appointments still take place in Crawley.

Thousands of people signed petitions calling for a new hospital at Pease Pottage but this was rejected as being too expensive.

Last year, the then health secretary, Alan Milburn, agreed with Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority that East Surrey should become the main hospital for the region.