OUR readers have proved in large numbers that they want to keep Whipps Cross as a full district general hospital.

In the words of our petition, they demand "a full range of urgent and non-urgent services for local people" at Whipps Cross University Hospital.

To date, we have received a fabulous 16,512 signatures - and as we went to press, more were arriving at our offices.

If you still have petitions in your offices, shops or at home, please send them off to us right away, using the Freepost address at the bottom of the form.

Next week, the editors of the Waltham Forest and Wanstead and Woodford Guardians plan a trip to the Department of Health to deliver our big pile of petition forms to the Secretary of State for Health, Patricia Hewitt.

Token forms with covering letters will also be delivered to the head of the NHS in London and the Fit for the Future board.

Many of our readers have told us that they have received excellent treatment at Whipps Cross and have confidence in its services.

One young mum, who recently had her second baby at the hospital after a traumatic first birth, said on Tuesday: "I am a picky person. and if there was anything to complain about, I would have found it.

"But I could not have experienced better treatment and cleanliness was first class, even though some of the staff were having to work double shifts."

Some, especially those who have debilitating long-term illnesses and disabilities, say they dread the thought of having to travel long distances for regular appointments and treament if departments crucial to them are closed down.

Everyone who has signed the petition has done his or her best to fight to keep the services they cherish close to our densely populated community.