THE Star offices have been flooded with more replies to our Don't Do It Hewitt campaign, bringing the total number of coupons returned to a whopping 1,867.

Readers have been writing in urging Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt not to axe Wycombe's A & E department after health managers warned more services could be moved.

Wycombe has already lost its women's and children's services to Stoke Mandeville hospital, and the Government has said it may favour future changes to A&E and maternity departments.

Star editor Steve Cohen launched the campaign when health bosses from the Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust said there could be more changes at Wycombe - and they could not give people in South Bucks any firm answers.

As well as getting backing from Wycombe MP Paul Goodman, last week High Wycombe Mayor Darren Hayday said he fully supported our campaign. He urged people to join thousands at a march in London yesterday to show their opposition to cutbacks.

Alan Bedford, acting chief executive at the trust, has hit back by saying there are no plans to cut back services at Wycombe.

He said: "Your reports have suggested a threat to the A & E at Wycombe Hospital although we have made it clear there are no plans to do this, nor any formal discussion about it. By you continuing to write stories about closure' we are then drawn into speculating what might happen before there has even been any analysis, let alone a decision. We have made it clear that should we conclude that there needs to be a major review of how things are done locally, we will be quite open about this and involve the public and all relevant organisations in the thinking."

Mr Bedford added that the trust had made it clear that Bucks is not safe from debates going on across the country about the future of health services.