A mother battling to reinstate hospital services is stepping up her campaign.

Becky O'Gorman, 34, is demanding to know what progress has been made since she met Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt.

During the meeting Mrs O'Gorman handed over a 33,000-name petition from people who want accident and emergency services back at Crawley Hospital.

Mrs O'Gorman, from Bewbush in Crawley, said she had not been given any update since the meeting almost six months ago and has written to Crawley MP Laura Moffatt to ask what is happening.

The mother-of-three has spent more than a year fighting for the hospital.

She said: "The journey to the nearest A&E at East Surrey Hospital in Redhill is awkward. It takes a long time by car because the traffic is always bad and the hospital is not near a station.

"The department at Redhill cannot cope with the extra demand from patients in Crawley. Crawley has an ever-growing population yet they are taking services away."

Mrs O'Gorman, lives with her husband Mark, 35, a postman, and their three children, Daniella, five, Gemma, two, and Kieran, one.

She says the NHS in Crawley is continuing to deteriorate and the walk-in centre for minor injuries and illnesses at the town's hospital does not provide enough cover.

Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs Crawley and East Surrey Hospitals, says centralising the A&E at Redhill means patients have expert, specialised care.

It also says most people who turn up at A&E can be dealt with by the walk-in centre at Crawley or by GPs.

Mrs Moffatt said it was taking time to check signatories on the petition were from Crawley residents but she hoped to present the petition to the House of Commons before the summer recess.

Parliamentary rules means the Crawley MP is not supposed to present signatures from other MP's constituents.