Campaigners fighting to keep full maternity services at Maidstone Hospital are due to hand over more than 3,000 letters calling on the Health Secretary to back their cause.

Peter Carroll (pictured), the prospective Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Maidstone and the Weald, will head a group of about 20 fellow protesters when they handed in the letters to Andy Burnham at the Department of Health in London today, Tuesday, at 11.30am.

The group, including Lib Dem Maidstone councillors Ian Chittenden, Dave Naghi, Clive English, Brian Mortimer and Steve Beerling, were to be joined by the Lib Dem’s Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb. They are expected to carry a banner with the words "Maidstone Maternity - Please Listen". Stuck to the banner are some of the letters collected by Mr Carroll and his fellow protesters during their campaign in and around Maidstone against the proposed move of maternity services to the new Pembury Hospital.

Today’s protest came three days after a Kent County Council health committee unanimously voted to refer the plans to Mr Burnham.

"Even though the plans have been refereed to the Secretary of State, we have to make sure he understands the strength of feeling in Maidstone," said Mr Carroll.

KCC’s decision came after months of campaigning by Maidstone Action for Services in Hospital (MASH), who demonstrated outside County Hall on Friday morning.

Helen Grant, the prospective Conservative parliamentary candidate and a founding member of MASH, said: "I am absolutely delighted with this decision and I congratulate the rest of our MASH team for their work in preparing and presenting our report for the committee to consider.

"The Secretary of State has executive powers and can review and overturn the trust’s plans. He has the power to give the people of Maidstone what they need and deserve – let’s hope he now does that."