Readers have been dismayed at the news Weston General’s A&E department will remain closed at night.

Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has agreed A&E will only be open to walk-in patients from 8am-10pm, as per the temporary overnight closure of the A&E, which has been in place since July 2017.

A fortnight ago it revealed it intended to push forward with the plans - despite significant concern over the idea - and the CCG rubber-stamped the proposals on October 1, at the Winter Gardens.

That was despite 24 hours before North Somerset Council's health overview and scrutiny panel (HOSP) recommended a decision on the Healthy Weston proposals were delayed until the CCG provided 'further clarity on the system-wide strategy for urgent and emergency care and the long-term plan'.

It said a failure of the CCG to delay would see the council consider asking the Secretary of State for health to intervene as its November of January full council meetings.

Sammo Nigh said: "I don't understand this, Weston is a pretty big place, with lots of villages reliant on services like A&E.

"Surely, whatever hospital they will defer emergencies to will not appreciate the extra stress. People will die.

"The NHS is amazing but this is a huge mistake in my opinion."

Kevin Hearn commented: "Its always been about bad management, when the hospital first opened there were more managers than patients,

"I have all the time in the world for the superb doctors and nurses but admin and management couldn't organise a p*** up in a brewery."

Kirsty Mallinson Read said: "I had to take my seven-year-old son up to the Bristol Royal Infirmary A&E in the holidays at 1am - we live two minutes away from Weston hospital.

"It's shocking this is what's going to happen."

Linda Taylor said: "We need the hospital, we cannot do without the hospital, we cannot do without our A&E, how dare they take it away?

"Closing ours only puts strain on other hospitals, so what will they do when they close them down too?"