Stephen McPartland, local MP for Stevenage raised the issue of his campaign for a radiotherapy unit at Lister hospital in Parliament and asked the Secretary of State for Health several questions in the House of Commons on the issue.

Stephen said: “I have now raised this important local issue with the Secretary of State for Health and hope this brings attention to the raw deal cancer patients received from the last government, when the planned cancer unit at Hatfield was scrapped. By asking these questions in Parliament I wish to highlight the effort towards improving cancer care in Stevenage”.

To date over 2,500 individuals have pledged their support. Stephen said, “It is essential to keep the momentum of this campaign moving forward. I urge all local residents to sign the petition, join the facebook group and tell their friends about what we are trying to achieve”.

Last month Mr McPartland launched the campaign in conjunction with the Comet newspaper to bring much needed cancer services to the Stevenage area. Currently patients requiring radiotherapy have to travel over 80 miles for a round trip to the Mount Vernon Hospital in Northwood, Middlesex. Since its launch the campaign has attracted widespread support and many local residents have been in contact with their own personal experiences.

Stephen added: “Cancer patients typically make 53 trips to hospital during treatment. For patients in Stevenage that works out at over 4,000 miles of travel on average whilst suffering from the illness.”