HEALTH watchdogs today warned of the crisis facing Burnley Hospital this winter after operations were cancelled because of a shortage of beds.

Burnley Community Health Council said the situation was 'unmanageable' and health bosses blamed an increase in the number of emergency admissions for the lack of beds.

One victim, Alastair Sydney, 49, of Crowther Street, Burnley, was told his gall bladder operation had been cancelled just hours before it was due to take place.

Mr Sydney said the delay was ruining his life. "I was meant to go in on Tuesday morning, but we had a knock at the door on Monday night.

"Someone hand delivered a letter saying that the operation was cancelled. All the woman said that there was a shortage of beds.

"I have worked very hard for years and like everyone else from my generation expect treatment on hand when needed

"How and why Burnley General are allowed to get away with messing around with peoples lives I will never know.

"My wife, Gillian, and I both work at the same place and travel 90 miles a day to and from work, I am the only driver, so when I am not fit for work we both lose out.

"Through keeping appointments at the hospital and days off though illness together we have lost over £1,200 in earnings."

"I have lost 13lbs in two weeks, I can't eat properly and I am jaundiced quite a lot of the time.

"I feel sorry for the nurses, working God knows how many hours for a pittance and you have got administrators, who know nothing, being paid a lot more."

Chief executive of Burnley Health Care NHS Trust David Chew warned last week that a 'colossal' increase in admissions was putting a strain on the Trust.

Emergency admissions at the hospital are said to be at their highest level for three years.

And finance director David Meakin revealed that six months into the financial year the Trust was £1.1m in the red.

The Trust said that plans to open new departments in Burnley General Hospital in time for winter were proceeding to the timetable but the level of both emergency and waiting list admissions have been six per cent greater between April and October this year than the same time period last year.

Frank Clifford, chairman of the Community Health Council, said today the occupancy levels of beds were 'at a ridiculous state' and 'unmanageable' and said someone needed to 'get a hold of the situation.'

He also said the shortage of beds is "seriously, seriously worrying" and that some of the wards at the hospital were operating at a dangerously low level.

He said that year on year there was a six percent increase in demand for beds, but Burnley Health Care NHS Trust was reducing the number available. He called that "logic of the madhouse."

"They are not delivering for the community and that is worrying. The level that they are operating at is totally unacceptable." he added.

When he heard of the plight of Mr Sydney, finance director for Burnley Health Care NHS Trust, David Meakin said: "I can't comment on an individual case, but we have had to cancel elective surgery this week because of the large number of emergency admissions.

"This has been happening since the end of June and it is an issue facing the majority of the NHS."

It is not known how many 'elective surgery' operations were cancelled this week. Elective surgery is where a patient is referred by a specialist and by their GP and can cover anything from having a cyst removed to having a lung out.

Because operations were cancelled at the hospital this week, Mr Meakin said the Trust had asked neighbouring authorities to try and find spaces.

Mr Meakin said that no reasons had been found for the high level of admissions.

He added: "When we get emergency admissions they have to take priority over everything else.

"It is not safe to bring people into the hospital if there is not a bed for them and emergencies have to take priority over everything else."