A day before the Lowestoft Hospital on Tennyson Road is set to go under the hammer, council members have called for it to be reconsidered.

Lowestoft Town Council have hand-delivered a letter to a representative of the James Paget University Hospital (JPUH) to stop the sale of Old Hospital Site on Thursday.

The letter asked for the hospital to pull it from the auction list and keep it in the community.

In a letter addressed to Chief Executive, Christine Allen and the Chair, Anna Davidson, the hospital is accused of not consulting or considering the public.

An excerpt of the letter read: 'Local people cannot afford, economically and in health terms, to continue to be subject to increasingly remote and inaccessible health services.'

'It is unacceptable that people here, who cannot afford the taxi fares and significant other additional costs and practical complications that arise from trying to access remote health services.'

The letter supported the notion it was a chance to 'explore opportunities to improve quality of life for this large population'.

In a response to the backlash against the sale, a JPUH spokesman said: 'The site is not suitable for the provision of modern health care and is deteriorating.

'Any delay in the disposal would result in further deterioration of the site and additional cost in keeping the site secure.

'In consultation with the Department of Health and Social Care, the Trust has decided to dispose of the site via auction later this week, with all proceeds going towards local health care.'