More than 6,000 people in Felixstowe have now signed a petition calling for Ipswich Hospital to be made a centre of excellence for stroke care.

Senior staff at the hospital say they are pressing ahead with plans to create a hyper-acute stroke unit (HASU) at the hospital but there is continuing doubt over the service because of an external review.

Sylvia and Colin Arnold, of Colneis Road, Felixstowe, have collected 6,200 signatures calling for the stroke service at Ipswich to be saved. Around 1,500 people from other parts of Suffolk have also signed the petition.

Mrs Arnold said their view had been reinforced after visiting a neighbour in hospital after she suffered a stroke.

She said: “All the patients we spoke to told us they had had excellent treatment and the staff had been wonderful.

“It would be criminal to lose our stroke care from Ipswich.

“Having to travel to see a family member or relative in hospital 70 miles away would be awful and just not possible for some people.

“We must save this service for the future.”

Dr Mark Lim, associate director of clinical strategy for NHS Ipswich and East Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Groups, said it was intended to commission acute and HASU services from Ipswich and West Suffolk Hospitals.